§ Malcolm BruceTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will publish(a) the base year emissions of the participants in the UK Greenhouse Gas Emissions Trading Scheme 2002, (b) their respective targets and (c) the reductions that they are committed to already, as a result of (i) legislation and (ii) public voluntary commitments. [48979]
§ Mr. Meacher[holding answer 15 April 2002]: The Government will publish the baseline emissions (average over 1998–2000) for each of the direct participants in the UK Greenhouse Gas Emissions Trading Scheme once these have been independently verified by organisations accredited for this specific purpose by the UK Accreditation Service. The respective targets for each direct participant have already been have published on the Department's website. Emission levels required of direct participants through integrated pollution control regulation are already available on the public register. The Department of Trade and Industry's flare consent regime specifies limits on the volume of natural gas flared rather than an emissions level. The 2002 flare consents for British Petroleum plc installations and fields in the Emissions Trading Scheme allow 1,132.55 thousand standard cubic metres of natural gas flared per day. For Shell UK Ltd, the comparable number is 698.17 thousand standard cubic metres of natural gas flared per day. Whilst the Government welcomes any public voluntary commitment made by firms to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions, these are a matter for the firms themselves, and not for Government.