Speeches by Gibson.

“In most of the conversations that I have had locally in forums on retrofitting, the biggest concern is about whether people are going to get interstitial condensation. They do not know what it is, but they know they should be scared of it. That lack of clarity about what decarbonising your home looks like is a big issu…”

“I will tell that statistic to my husband, as a reason for having a heat pump and an electric vehicle. [Laughter.] So far, he is not entirely convinced by either, so that is really helpful.”

“Your report unequivocally states, “There is no role for hydrogen heating in residential buildings”, which comes as a surprise when one thinks of district heating and multiple-occupancy buildings. There is no formal decision by the Government on this yet. Do you think that this lack of certainty is hampering the low-car…”

“Speculation around British Steel at the Scunthorpe plant is deeply concerning for the workers and business owners alike, who are desperately waiting for the Government to deliver just one piece of good news. Steel is vital to our green economy as it plays a huge role in our ability to extend our railways and to build z…”

“You feel that we are taking a lead on this. In what specific ways do you say that we are managing to show leadership in that? What timeline do they have for trying to put this back to an agreement?”

“Minister Hardy, would you be able to update the Committee on what measures are being taken to monitor the environmental impacts of the recent collision in the North sea and what action is being taken to prevent damage to the marine and coastal environment? I note that my question, if Baroness Chapman is able to come ba…”

“Thank you very much for returning, Baroness Chapman, because I have one last quick question for you. Would you be able to provide us with an update on the global plastics treaty?”

“Minister Hardy, would you be able to update the Committee on what measures are being taken to monitor the environmental impacts of the recent collision in the North sea and what action is being taken to prevent damage to the marine and coastal environment? I note that my question, if Baroness Chapman is able to come ba…”

“Thank you very much for returning, Baroness Chapman, because I have one last quick question for you. Would you be able to provide us with an update on the global plastics treaty?”

“You feel that we are taking a lead on this. In what specific ways do you say that we are managing to show leadership in that? What timeline do they have for trying to put this back to an agreement?”

“Let me begin by thanking the Government for laying this important statutory instrument. The Liberal Democrats welcome this uplift in the minimum wage. We all have constituents who we know are struggling to make ends meet. Nobody should be in a position where they cannot pay their bills despite being in employment. I am…”

“In answer to my question, what about the idea of an annual statement—the commitment to providing an annual statement on climate and nature?”

“That is all very well in an urban context. If you live in a rural community where there are no buses, you cannot get out of your housing estate. If your housing estate is the one where the wonderful new forest is 15 miles away, it might as well be on Mars. Yes, in principle and, yes, it works for urban conurbations, bu…”

“I mentioned before that I have certain concerns about the nature restoration fund. Having spent 30 years as an architect and working in the built environment, most of my SME developers that I have spoken to over the last few months about this are very worried. They are quite happy to deliver on-site gain—in fact, it he…”

“Okay. I will leave it there. Importantly to me, the Climate and Nature Bill’s passage was paused, partly because the Government gave a commitment to providing annual climate and nature statements in Parliament. I know that Ed Miliband has committed to doing this. Is that an opportunity for joint statements? Do you supp…”

“Having worked on the built environment for the last 30 years, I will be commenting on that, but it is not part of this Committee’s questions. I have my doubts as to how well that is going to deliver. In terms of the OEP’s recommendations, it has suggested amendments to the environmental principles policy statement so t…”

“The nature recovery fund is in the planning Bill, isn’t it?”

“You will see why I am concerned.”

“It is, yes. It is removing a piece of infrastructure, an asset, which is terrifyingly dangerous. Even so, the funding is disappearing.”

“Good afternoon. I wanted to ask you a bit more about something very important to this Committee, which is the cross-Government working. Specifically, I want to know more about the extent to which you can make the case in Cabinet and more widely for retaining the measures that protect nature and the environment. Do you …”