Speeches by Hinchliff.

“I have a final question to pursue that a little further, because we have talked at a quite broad, high level there. Do you have any specific recommendations for how the Government can integrate that community-led approach with our current policy setting for managing the marine environment space?”

“It would be really welcome if you could write to the Committee setting out some of those community-led examples. To move on to specifics around management, thinking about the different industries that use the marine environment and marine resources, how effective do you feel the current cross-sector approaches to manag…”

“To move on to a specific point, the Chancellor of the Exchequer is recently reported to have said that growth trumps everything. Does the work of the Growth Mission Board take priority over the Clean Energy Mission Board?”

“Secretary of State, you know as well as I do that while there has been technical decoupling within our own economy, our demands impact resource consumption overseas, impact land use change overseas and lead to overseas industrial activity. I do not want to get drawn into this too much, but the Government’s position is …”

“They are, perhaps quite rightly. You have repeatedly said that we can meet our growth mission and keep within our carbon budgets. Since 2015, global GDP growth has been associated with an increase in carbon dioxide-equivalent emissions every single year, apart from in 2020 during covid. The Energy Institute’s latest an…”

“Secretary of State, I have some final philosophical mopping up from my side.”

“As a final point, I take it that the name is the AI Energy Council, but in your discussions on the resource demands of AI and data centres in the future, do you have discussions on water resources as well given the pressure on our water resources in this country? Is that being considered in those discussions?”

“Then I will finally move on to last point. As the co-chair of the AI Energy Council, how are you ensuring that the rollout of new data centres to support AI across the country does not compromise climate objectives due to energy demand?”

“Have you assessed or are you aware of the research by the New Economics Foundation that approving the expansion of Luton and Gatwick airports would wipe out the climate benefit of the Government’s clean power plan by 2050?”

“To return briefly to the point around aviation, you have said that the CCC’s advice on aviation expansion is absolutely the position of the Government. That referred to bringing forward an airport capacity management framework. Do the Government intend to bring that forward?”

“I am in absolute agreement there, but you did answer my question at the beginning. The answer can be no, although we accept the wider point that you make.”

“The more important question for my constituents who are concerned about our local environment is whether, under this Government, the answer can ever be no.”

“Last week, similarly, the Chancellor said that for the sake of growth, the answer cannot always be no when it comes to approving major infrastructure works.”

“I make a brief declaration of interest: my former employer, CPRE, supports the Bill. Does my hon. Friend agree that the rate of climate change that she is describing in her constituency poses an existential threat to our most loved landscapes, our iconic wildlife species, the pattern of our seasons and some of our most…”

“I will go quite quickly because I am afraid I have some other business I need to shoot off to. My questions are in the first instance to Professor Hall and to Dr Sayers. There has been some quite some public debate over the role that dredging can play in reducing the impacts of flooding and it is certainly an issue tha…”

“Thank you. A final question to both of you. The Environment Agency has come into a fair bit of criticism for some of its approach to dredging from people who would like to see more of it. Do you have any recommendations that you would like to see us consider in our report for how the Environment Agency deals with the p…”

“Thank you. Dr Sayers, off the back of that comment, are there particular techniques that you would encourage to be used either in collaboration or as an alternative where it is not the right option, where we are seeing dredging at the moment that could be used instead?”

“To follow up on that point then, are there specific locations where you would suggest across the country where dredging is a particularly relevant technique for continuing to manage flooding risk and how do you think that relates to the specific flooding risks that are arising as a result of climate change?”

“I do not know whether the Dr Sayers wants to feed into that before I move on to my next question?”

“I will go quite quickly because I am afraid I have some other business I need to shoot off to. My questions are in the first instance to Professor Hall and to Dr Sayers. There has been some quite some public debate over the role that dredging can play in reducing the impacts of flooding and it is certainly an issue tha…”