§ Mr. SheermanTo ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what progress has been made by the working party on environmental taxation. [54692]
§ Dawn PrimaroloThere is no single Government working party that is looking at environmental taxation.
In the last Budget my right hon. Friend the Chancellor appointed Lord Marshall, assisted by a Government Task Force to examine the potential for the use of economic instruments—such as an industrial energy tax and/or other market mechanisms—to improve business energy use and reduce greenhouse gas emissions from this sector. Lord Marshall has been asked to report back to the Chancellor by the start of November. A consultation document was released by the Task Force on 5 June. Responses have been requested by 31 July.