The Minister for Public Finance and Digital Economy
():...We
confirm today a new £120 million heat transition deal, which
recognises the need to boost the scale and pace of growth in
decarbonising our homes and buildings. That will ensure that we
seize the huge economic opportunity that renewable heat will
present as part of a just transition, delivering thousands of new
green jobs. The heat deal will include a £50 million heat networks
early adopter challenge fund for local authorities and a £10
million fund to support Hydrogen heat demonstrator
projects. The budget also secures an increase to £151 million in
capital funding for energy efficiency measures...
(Banffshire and Buchan
Coast) (SNP): I have been reading the carbon assessment
of the budget proposals, which has lots of good news. Page 4 of
the budget document outlines that spending to mitigate emissions
has increased, but is the Government doing anything else in that
area? Can she give us further information as to how spending will
be targeted specifically at carbon?
: What is interesting
about the budget is not only the high-level figures for our
investment in peatland restoration, the heat transition deal, the
future transport fund and our priorities but the significant
investment in how we work with people to deliver on our
commitments on climate change. I have already mentioned the
investment in the agricultural transformation programme, but we
are also developing, for example, the £50 million heat networks
early adopter challenge fund for local authorities and a £10
million fund to support
Hydrogen heat demonstrator projects. Not
only do we want to be at the forefront when it comes to our
climate change commitments, we want to pioneer solutions that the
rest of the world can adopt.
