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WQ.220/2018
WRITTEN QUESTION TO THE MINISTER FOR THE ENVIRONMENT
BY THE CONNÉTABLE OF ST. HELIER
ANSWER TO BE TABLED ON TUESDAY 23rd OCTOBER 2018
Question
What response, if any, has the Minister made to the latest report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (I.P.C.C.) which has challenged all governments to take steps to address the problems of climate change; and will he engage with the Minister for Treasury and Resources regarding prospective fiscal measures that could be taken, either through amendments to the 2019 Budget or through the 2020 Budget; and if not, why not?
Answer
I am currently considering the latest IPCC report in the context of the Island's agreed emissions reduction plan - Pathway 2050: An Energy Plan for Jersey (P.38/2014) which outlines policies and actions to reduce Jersey's Greenhouse Gas Emissions by 80% on 1990 baseline levels by 2050[1].
The Energy Forum, the stakeholder arm of the Jersey Energy Partnership[2], have the IPCC report as an agenda item for their next meeting of the 4th December 2018. They will also consider whether Jersey's policies to reduce carbon emissions as modelled are in line with the new emissions and temperature scenarios discussed by the IPCC and report back to the Energy Executive, the Ministerial oversight group tasked with monitoring the delivery of the Energy Plan. At present the two key target areas for carbon reduction are space heating and transport. Their conclusions will inform the Council of Ministers (COM) policy formulation work which is due to take place during the first quarter of 2019 as part of preparing our draft Common Strategic Policy (CSP), Resources Plan for 2020-22, and the new Island Plan.
As a newly elected Minister I would have liked to see the proposed COM budget for 2019 include fiscal measures to achieve our environmental objectives. Unfortunately with only four months since being elected a Minister, the States summer recess and work on our COM CSP having to take priority, at the same time as the Civil Service undergoing a complete restructuring, there has not been sufficient time nor opportunity for policy research and development to ensure any fiscal measures proposed were robust and without unintended consequences.
Whilst there are proposals which could be considered for amendment in the 2019 budget, e.g. bringing centre of town private car parking into the taxable benefits in kind regime to support sustainable transport, I have been advised that until a full assessment of the adequacy of the Island's ongoing emissions reduction policies in the light of the IPCC report has been carried out, it is premature to bring an amendment to the 2019 Budget that would impose fiscal measures for this purpose.
Notwithstanding this disappointment, as Minister for the Environment, I will work to ensure the COM's policy considerations in the 2020 and beyond budget cycles includes potential fiscal levers to encourage reductions in carbon emissions and reduced pollution, especially from vehicles. These could include Vehicle Emissions Duty and differential parking rates for electric vehicles and perhaps in the much longer term an urban congestion charge at peak times, and all have the potential of generating additional funding for sustainable transport including public transport. But these subjects will have to go through the COM one government policy development process, including public consultation, and wide ranging discussions will be required with the Minister for Infrastructure. I will ensure the Connétable has the opportunity to contribute fully to these considerations.