Bill lacks 2030 emission cut target
THE Government’s long-awaited legislation that aims to secure billions of pounds of investment in low-carbon energy will not include a target to slash emissions from the power sector by 2030.
An estimated £110 billion is needed in the next decade to renew the UK’s ageing electricity infrastructure, with much set to go into low-carbon power sources such as wind farms to cut emissions and keep the lights on.
The forthcoming Energy Bill, which aims to drive the investment, has been the subject of political wrangling within the coalition and mixed messages about how committed the Government is to supporting a greener economy or backing new gas power.
PM demands EU civil service cuts
DAVID Cameron has demanded billions of pounds in pay and pension cuts from the EU’s pampered civil service in a show of solidarity with austerity-hit workers across Europe.
Before a crucial budget summit last night, he confronted European Council president Herman Van Rompuy and European Commission president Jose Manuel Barroso with a paper setting out how Brussels could slash at least six billion euros – £4.8bn – off its staff costs at a stroke by upping retirement ages, lowering pensions and trimming lavish salaries.
The Cameron list caught the pair by surprise when the Prime Minister was the first through the door yesterday morning for private talks before the showdown summit began.
Care pressure ‘risking patients’
VULNERABLE people are at risk of receiving “poor or unsafe care” as pressures on care services take their toll, according to a new report.
The ageing population and the rising tide of patients who suffer from complex or multiple illnesses mean that some care providers are struggling to provide “person centred” care, according to the Care Quality Commission (CQC).
Pressure on the care system is having an impact on the respect that patients are receiving in some areas, according to the State of Care report.
Gale-force storms set to continue
HEAVY wind and rain which brought chaos to large parts of the country will continue this weekend.
Hundreds of drivers were stranded, thousands of homes were without power and more than 100 people evacuated as winds reached more than 86mph.
Many roads were left impassable as homeowners were again forced to protect their properties as water deluged swathes of the country.
PM slammed on ex-ministers’ honours
DAVID Cameron has been accused by MPs of undermining public confidence in the honours system by awarding honours to five ministers sacked in his Cabinet reshuffle.
The Commons Public Administration Select Committee said the move flew in the face of assurances given by the Government and represented a further “politicisation” of the system.
Former ministers James Paice, Edward Garnier, Nick Harvey and Gerald Howard were recommended by Mr Cameron for knighthoods after losing their jobs in the September reshuffle while Sir George Young – who has since returned to the Government as chief whip – was made a Companion of Honour.
