United Kingdom Internal Market Bill — New Clause 6 — Climate and Nature Emergency Impact Statement as Prerequisite for Financial Assistance — 29 Sep 2020 at 18:00

The majority of MPs voted not to require a "climate and nature emergency impact statement" as part of any proposal for financial assistance under a United Kingdom Internal Market Act.

MPs were considering the United Kingdom Internal Market Bill^[1][2].

The proposed new clause rejected in this vote was titled: Economic development: climate and nature emergency impact statement and stated:

• (1) Any financial assistance provided under Part 6 of this Act for the purpose of economic development must take into account the overarching need for a sustainable strategy aimed at long- term national well-being.
• (2) Every proposal for financial assistance under this Act must be accompanied by a climate and nature emergency impact statement.
• (3) Responsibility for the production of the climate and nature emergency impact statement required in subsection (2) resides with the applicant for financial assistance.
• (4) Responsibility for assessment of the climate and nature emergency impact statement required in subsection (2) resides with Ministers, who are required to publish this assessment for any successful proposal.
• (5) The climate and nature emergency impact statement produced should take account of any carbon budget, climate, nature and environmental goals approved by the relevant Parliament.
• (6) In subsection (5), the ‘relevant Parliament’ means—
• (a) where the proposed financial assistance relates to a person in England, the House of Commons and the House of Lords;
• (b) where the proposed financial assistance relates to a person in Scotland, the Scottish Parliament;
• (c) where the proposed financial assistance relates to a person in Wales, Senedd Cymru;
• (d) where the proposed financial assistance relates to a person in Northern Ireland, the Northern Ireland Assembly.”

The rejected new clause was accompanied by the following explanatory statement from its proposer:

• The intention of this new clause is to ensure that those seeking financial assistance for economic development, etc under this Act are obliged to undertake a climate and nature emergency impact statement to ensure public money is only granted to development consistent with climate, nature and environmental goals and targets.

Part 6 of the Bill provided for wide-ranging powers for ministers to hand out money. Part 6 of the Bill started with Clause 46, titled Power to provide financial assistance for economic development etc and began:

• (1)A Minister of the Crown may, out of money provided by Parliament, provide financial assistance to any person for, or in connection with, any of the following purposes—
• (a)promoting economic development in the United Kingdom or any areaof the United Kingdom;
• (b)providing infrastructure at places in the United Kingdom (including infrastructure in connection with any of the other purposes mentioned in this section)

(c)supporting cultural activities, projects and events that the Ministe rconsiders directly or indirectly benefit the United Kingdom or particular areas of the United Kingdom;

• (d)supporting activities, projects and events relating to sport that the Minister considers directly or indirectly benefit the United Kingdom or particular areas of the United Kingdom;
• (e)supporting international educational and training activities and exchanges;
• (f)supporting educational and training activities and exchanges withinthe United Kingdom.
• [1] Parliament's webpage on the United Kingdom Internal Market Bill, Parliament.uk
• [2] Explanatory notes to the United Kingdom Internal Market Bill, Parliament.uk website

Debate in Parliament |