Darren Jones, Business Committee Chair, comments on Energy White Paper

• Decarbonising heat in homes
• Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Committee

Darren Jones, BEIS Committee Chair, said:

“The Energy White Paper’s arrival, while long overdue, is welcome, and goes some way to putting flesh on the bones of the Prime Minister’s 10-point plan for the UK to achieve net-zero. As a Committee we will now take a close look at the White Paper to see if it delivers on the Carbon Budgets and our net-zero target.

“The BEIS Committee called for urgent clarity on carbon pricing post-Brexit. Whilst it has taken too long, it is welcome the Government has now responded and committed to a UK ETS, which leaves open the possibility of linking to the larger European ETS in the future.

“I hope the Government will be able to provide some clarity on their ambitions for replacing fossil fuel boilers. Decarbonising heat in homes will be central to our net-zero ambitions. The Government’s White Paper suggests gas boilers could still be sold up to 2035. Given the 15-year average lifetime of a gas boiler, these boilers could still be burning gas by 2050, which would seem to make a mockery of the UK’s 2050 net zero target.

“The BEIS Committee will be keen to examine the clarity, scope and deliverability of the Energy White Paper’s ambitions in our evidence session on 12 January and in our decarbonising heat inquiry later in the New Year.”

The Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Committee will be holding an evidence session examining the Energy White Paper on the morning of Tuesday 12 January 2021 (witnesses: tbc).

Further information

• About Parliament: Select committees
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