The Environmental Audit Committee is today launching a new inquiry into Energy Subsidies in the UK. This will investigate what should constitute ‘subsidy’, the extent of energy subsidies in the UK for nuclear energy, fossil fuel energy and renewables, and what the Government should be doing to identify and eliminate those subsidies which are — using the UN’s terminology — “harmful”.
The inquiry begins on 24 April by taking evidence from Dr William Blyth of Oxford Energy Associates who has produced for the Committee a detailed analysis of the extent of energy subsidies in the UK.
The Committee will be examining in its inquiry:
(i) whether the Government has identified the extent of energy subsidies, and measured them;
(ii) how well any identification of subsidies by the Government matches up to best practice methodologies in how energy subsidies are defined and scoped;
(iii) the scale of subsidies in the UK, including comparison with other countries;
(iv) whether the Government has any plans or targets to reduce or eliminate ‘harmful’ subsidies;
(v) progress in reducing such harmful subsidies, and how current energy policies and DECC’s ‘Energy Pathways’ for the mix of energy sources will influence the magnitude of any subsidies.
The Committee is inviting written evidence on these issues, and the Oxford Energy Associates work for the Committee, by 13 September 2013.
As part of a scheme to encourage paperless working and maximise efficiency, the Committee is piloting a new web portal for online submission of written evidence. Written submissions for this inquiry should therefore be sent via the link at the top of this page.
The personal information you supply will be processed in accordance with the provisions of the Data Protection Act 1998 for the purposes of attributing the evidence you submit and contacting you as necessary in connection with its processing. The Clerk of the House of Commons is the data controller for the purposes of the Act. We may also ask you to comment on the process of submitting evidence via the web portal so that we can look to make improvements. If you have any queries or concerns about the collection and use of this information or do not wish your details to be used for the purpose of collecting feedback, please advise the Committee Team at eacom@parliament.uk providing your name and contact details.