§ Mr. BercowTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will list the external organisations set up by her as part of the Government's strategy to combat climate change indicating(a) their remits and (b) their sources of funding. [50447]
§ Mr. WilsonThe Department has not itself established any external organisations as part of the Government's climate change programme. However, it has worked with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, which leads on climate change policy on several initiatives. The Department has helped with the establishment of the Carbon Trust whose remit is to help the UK move towards a low carbon economy, by encouraging the development and uptake of low carbon technologies and administering energy support and advice for business. The Carbon Trust is funded from receipts from the climate change levy and also receives support from DEFRA, the Scottish Executive, the Welsh Assembly and the Northern Ireland Executive.
The Department also assists the Tyndall Centre at the university of East Anglia which supports the work in nine research institutions to promote understanding of the causes and consequences of climate change. The Tyndall Centre is funded by the National Environment Research Council (NERC), Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC), the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC): and the Department contributes £210,000 over three years for the development of assistance to business on climate change causes and its consequences.