§ Mr. StunellTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will set out the UK's proposed target for carbon dioxide reductions under the Kyoto protocol before entering into negotiations with other European Union countries. [36383]
§ Mr. MeacherThe starting point for the sharing out with other European Union countries of the EU's legally binding 8 per cent. Kyoto Protocol target is the provisional agreement reached in March 1997, under which the previous Government committed the UK to a 10 per cent. reduction. We indicated before Kyoto that we were prepared to consider doing more than this as a legally binding target: but we would not do so simply to enable other EU countries to reduce their efforts.
Separately from whatever legally binding target is agreed for the UK, we retain our aim of a 20 per cent. reduction in CO2 emissions.