Saxby and Stuart clash over government subsidies for bio-energy

In a Westminster Hall debate held on Tuesday 6 December, Conservative MP Selaine Saxby criticised the government’s bio-energy policy.

She said: “The UK produces roughly 12% of its energy from biomass and 3% from coal. The UK’s emissions of carbon have not dropped at the same rate as our reduction of coal would indicate. The reality is that there is currently more carbon being put into our atmosphere than there was when we were burning coal”.

Responding, climate minister Graham Stuart said:”This is short-sighted and ignores the environmental and social benefits of sustainable forest practises and the role that forest derived biomass plays in supporting these policy decisions need to be based on facts and rigorous evidence gathering, not on inaccuracies and mis conceptions”.