Speeches by Glover.

“Good. I think people will be pleased to hear that. A general challenge with regulation is the need to regulate today versus the future need to regulate things that may or may not exist yet. How will the ports NPS balance regulatory certainty today with the need for flexibility to support the deployment of technologies …”

“Some of the evidence we have received suggests that some stakeholders feel that the revised NPS does not articulate sufficiently clearly how it supports the meeting of our carbon targets, including by supporting ports’ readiness to help shipping to decarbonise. Would you agree with that? If so, what more could have bee…”

“What has changed since the 2012 version in relation to achieving those aims?”

“How does the revised national policy statement demonstrate alignment with the Government’s decarbonisation commitments?”

“It is reassuring to know that Departments talk to each other. Clearly, we can have a nice, big, shiny port, but the key thing about ports is being able to get stuff in and out by rail or road. In that context, do you feel that the revised ports NPS addresses the risk that the growth in port traffic or use could be cons…”

“Minister, this is clearly not the only national policy statement that has had recent changes; the ones for energy, water and national networks have too. How does the revised NPS for ports take account of the changes to other NPSs?”

“It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Sir Desmond, and I welcome the Minister to her place. The Liberal Democrats do not intend to divide the Committee either. Along with the Opposition spokesperson, we welcome the seriousness with which the Government are taking the matter and their positive steps to deal wi…”

“You have covered some of this in your answers so far, but in which areas do you think the changes from the 2012 version of the national policy statement are most significant? Equally, what issues has it left unaddressed?”

“Sticking with that theme, the Government feel that the general direction of policy in the NPS remains the same but there is a greater emphasis on growth and clean energy. Do you all agree with that? If you do, what are the implications for the sector?”

“Robbie, do you have any thoughts to add to those of your colleagues?”

“On a recent Industry and Parliament Trust visit to Dover, a couple of us heard about challenges in some of its forward plans for wanting to decarbonise shipping across the short straits of the English channel. Because it is such a short route, it presents a fairly unusual opportunity, potentially. They told us that, fo…”

“That’s true.”

“I understand that. Does this not perhaps speak to some of the points that we made earlier about how Government do or do not co-ordinate all the various ingredients to make an effective maritime cake?”

“It is all about forward planning, isn’t it? Do you have anything to add, Cathy or Robbie?”

“That is pretty clear. Would you say it is similar for the need for carbon capture and storage and sustainable aviation fuel development? Would you say similarly that that is not an NPS thing and it should be in other areas?”

“Thanks for those comments. To clarify what you said, I think we are both correct, actually. It was TfL evidence to the London Assembly Transport Committee expressing that view, just to make sure that is cleared up for the record. What you have all said very much speaks to the point that I think you made earlier, Richar…”

“You have already made some good and interesting points about where car sharing reduces the number of vehicles on the road, so I will not invite you to expand on any of those but to look at the flip side of that. There have been some concerns from the London Assembly’s Transport Committee that car clubs might have the p…”

“Up until now our discussion has mostly been focused on cities, either medium-size Oxford and Cambridge or large like London, but the UK has many constituencies like mine in Oxfordshire, which is basically three towns of differing sizes and then a whole load of villages and rural areas. How commercially viable do you fe…”

“You gave some examples earlier of local authorities that already do some of these things well. Do you have any others, both UK and abroad, that we should be looking at?”

“You gave some good stuff on this in one of your previous answers, but what more can local authorities do to support the different forms of car sharing? Perhaps to nick my hon. Friend’s way of doing this, what would be the most useful first step that local authorities could do to help?”