Climate Change (Hansard, 7 November 2002)

§ Alan Simpson
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many climate change levy underlying agreements within the meaning of paragraph 48 of Schedule 6 to the Finance Act 2000 she has(a) entered into and (b) varied or; if she will give the name of the other party or parties to each such agreement or variation; if she will indicate, in relation to each such agreement, the umbrella agreement within the meaning of the same paragraph to which it relates; and if she will place in the Library copies of all such agreements and variations. [78725]

§ Mr. Meacher
The Secretary of State currently is party to 5,460 underlying agreements within the meaning of paragraph 48 of Schedule 6 to the Finance Act 2000. The original umbrella agreements are placed in the Library and on the Defra website. The names of the operators of facilities currently covered by the underlying agreements are published, sector by sector, in Reduced Rate Certificates on HM Customs and Excise website. The underlying agreements contain commercially sensitive material in the form of energy efficiency targets and consequently cannot be published, though the standard template is also available on the Defra website. Variations to these agreements to date cover only new entrants to the agreements, withdrawals 589W from them and changes of contact details. It would involve excessive costs to publish the variations involving these changes to company details. We have been in discussions with sector associations regarding variations to the agreements to provide for corrections to targets resulting from corrections to baseline data. The proportional improvements in energy efficiency required has been maintained. Any further variations to the provisions of the agreements will be placed in the Library under the same terms as the original agreements were placed.

§ Alan Simpson
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many climate change agreements within the meaning of paragraph 47 of Schedule 6 to the Finance Act 2000 and variations, she has entered into and what the name is of the other party or parties to each such agreement or variation; if she will make a statement in relation to each such agreement on the description of energy-intensive installations within paragraph 51 of Schedule 6 to the Finance Act 2000 to which it relates; and if she will place in the Library copies of all such agreements and variations. [78726]

§ Mr. Meacher
There is one climate change agreement under paragraph 47 of Schedule 2 to the Finance Act 2000, which provided for the unique case where there was only one company operating a specific eligible IPPC process. The agreement under this paragraph therefore combines the provisions of the umbrella and underlying agreements within the meaning of paragraph 48. A copy has been placed in the Library of the House and on the DEFRA website. The agreement contains the names of the relevant parties and a description of the type of the installation covered by the agreement. There have been no variations to this agreement.

§ Llew Smith
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will make a statement on the outcome of the Climate Change Conference in New Delhi; and if she will place in the Library copies of(a) the United Kingdom submissions, (b) other nations' submissions relevant to UK policy and (c) the text of the final communiqué. [80349]

§ Mr. Meacher
There were two main outcomes from the Eighth Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), held in New Delhi, India from 23 October to 1 November 2002.
The first was that good progress was made on several technical issues which are key to building the architecture for effective implementation of the Kyoto Protocol.
The first report of the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) Executive Board, established at COP7 in Marrakech, was approved. This will allow for the prompt start of the CDM and projects should start to come through the system next year. This should result in investment benefits for developing countries and help developed countries meet their Kyoto commitments. Work on how to include afforestation and reforestation projects under the CDM continued and is on track for agreement on schedule at COP10.
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The final element of the guidelines on the reporting and review of accounting for total emissions under Marrakech Accords (the rules implementing Kyoto) was agreed. Regular reporting and review is essential, for transparency in the system and to ensure that parties are keeping to detailed trading rules.
There were also productive discussions on legal and institutional matters, in particular on how the first meeting of the Kyoto Protocol governing body should be convened in conjunction with the Convention governing body.
Guidance was also agreed on how developing countries should report information to the COP in their national communications. This is essential for assessing the size of the global problem and as a basis for informing decisions on future action. Guidance was also agreed for the new funds agreed in Bonn and Marrakech last year.
The second outcome was the Delhi Declaration on climate change and sustainable development. Negotiations on the text were dominated by the developing country concerns of vulnerability to climate change and the fneed for countries to adapt to it effects, and by their reluctance to initiate a process for considering what more needs to be done by the international community until greater progress has been made in implementing existing commitments under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Kyoto Protocol. The final text was therefore less forward-looking than we and our EU partners would have liked. Nevertheless, the Declaration makes important points about setting climate change in the context of sustainable development and puts a welcome focus on the needs of developing countries in trying to adapt to climate change.
There were no UK submissions on issues discussed in New Delhi because the EU negotiates as a block in the UNFCCC. Denmark, which currently holds the Presidency, made submissions on behalf of all Member States. I have today placed copies of all EU submissions relevant to UK policy in the library, along with those from other Parties to the UNFCCC on the same subjects, and a copy of the final text of the Delhi Declaration. When they are available, I will also place copies of the formal EU statements made during the conference in the Library.