Contributions
1,387 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDEnvironment Bill (Ninth sitting)I just want to clarify a few points. As I am sure the shadow Minister knows, HMT takes environmental impact extremely seriously already; in fact, it is referred to in the Green…03 Nov 2020HANSARDEnvironment Bill (Ninth sitting)I thank the hon. Member for the amendment. I recognise the intention behind requiring further guidance on what counts as “significant”. However, this is a horizon-scanning…03 Nov 2020HANSARDEnvironment Bill (Ninth sitting)I think the hon. Gentleman has stepped right into my trap, because that is why it is really important that the report goes before both Houses so that they can both comment. The…03 Nov 2020HANSARDEnvironment Bill (Ninth sitting)I thank the hon. Gentleman for drawing the Committee’s attention to the Aarhus convention, which is of course an international agreement. I do not deny its importance, so he and I…03 Nov 2020HANSARDEnvironment Bill (Ninth sitting)I know I am not able to speak again, but perhaps the shadow Minister will allow me to intervene on him—I think I will have to put this in the form of a question, which makes it…03 Nov 2020HANSARDEnvironment Bill (Ninth sitting)I will keep my comments to what the amendment refers to, which is the involvement of the Environmental Audit Committee and the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee. I…03 Nov 2020HANSARDEnvironment Bill (Ninth sitting)This is an open and fair process, and other appointments are duly scrutinised in that way. The considerations and views of both Committees will be taken extremely seriously…03 Nov 2020HANSARDEnvironment Bill (Ninth sitting)I remind the hon. Gentleman that the Select Committees pressed for that scrutiny and they have welcomed the fact that they will be able to scrutinise the potential chair. They did…03 Nov 2020HANSARDEnvironment Bill (Ninth sitting)Does the hon. Gentleman not agree with me that the very fact that that has happened demonstrates that Select Committees are taken seriously? As such, the measure in the Bill is…03 Nov 2020HANSARDEnvironment Bill (Ninth sitting)There have been some fiery comments about this particular amendment, Chair. I welcome the support of the hon. Member for Southampton, Test for our inclusion in the Bill of a…03 Nov 2020HANSARDEnvironment Bill (Ninth sitting)Does the shadow Minister not agree that an unprecedented and unexpected incident has occurred? We have had the coronavirus pandemic. In the light of that, does he not agree that…03 Nov 2020HANSARDEnvironment Bill (Ninth sitting)I thank the hon. Member for Southampton, Test for his interest in the interim chief executive’s role and the Secretary of State’s power to appoint them. I reiterate what I…03 Nov 2020HANSARDEnvironment Bill (Ninth sitting)I thank my hon. Friend for that intervention; I could not have put it better myself. I feel that I am under a certain amount of attack here. This is all being put into place so…03 Nov 2020HANSARDEnvironment Bill (Eighth sitting)But we love saying that, Mr Gray. Okay, I will try not to say it again.03 Nov 2020HANSARDEnvironment Bill (Eighth sitting)Thank you Chair, I get your point and I beg your forgiveness. I will not include everything, but I wanted to update the Committee because so much has happened since we stopped our…03 Nov 2020HANSARDEnvironment Bill (Eighth sitting)I thank the hon. Gentleman for his opening words. It is an absolute privilege to be back with the Committee. [Hon. Members: “Hear, hear.”] It is more than seven months since we…03 Nov 2020HANSARDEnvironment Bill (Ninth sitting)I thank the hon. Member for Edinburgh North and Leith. The amendment gives me a good opportunity to demonstrate that the Government’s new environmental governance framework…03 Nov 2020HANSARDEnvironment Bill (Eighth sitting)The hon. Gentleman has hit the nail on the head: the natural environment is very complicated and complex. We have set out the Bill as it appears so that it takes an holistic…03 Nov 2020HANSARD Local Clean Air TargetsI was just coming to the hon. Gentleman’s comments, in which he mentioned incinerators, as he often has before. Most of the incinerators he referred to are in Wales. This is a…20 Oct 2020HANSARD Local Clean Air TargetsSir Charles, you are making it sound as if you do not want to listen to me for 15 minutes. Now I think I will make sure that I do go on for 15 minutes. It is an absolute pleasure…20 Oct 2020