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Research Briefing
Climate change levy
The climate change levy was introduced in April 2001, charged on electricity, gas, liquefied petroleum gas and solid fuels, when supplied to business. This note gives a short history of the levy, and the impact it has had in reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
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Research Briefing
Landfill communities fund
Landfill tax is charged on waste disposed at landfill sites. Site operators may fund local community environmental projects, under a scheme allowing them to offset this investment against their tax liability, up to a specified limit. This note gives a short history of the scheme.
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Research Briefing
Landfill tax : introduction & early history
Landfill tax was introduced on 1 October 1996: this country's first tax with an explicit environmental purpose. This note discusses the background to the tax's introduction. Two other notes look at recent developments concerning the tax, and at the landfill tax community fund - a tax credit scheme to reduce the environmental impact of landfill sites.
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Research Briefing
Biochar and climate change
This note briefly introduces biochar as a measure to tackle climate change.
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Research Briefing
Marine and Coastal Access Bill [HL]: Committee Stage Report. Bill 137 2008-09.
The Bill would set up a new Marine Management Organisation (MMO); streamline marine licensing; introduce marine planning; reform fisheries management; provide for Marine Conservation Zones; and enable the creation of a route around the English coast.
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Research Briefing
Sugar
This note covers EU support for sugar producers and preferential arrangements for imports from certain poor countries
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Research Briefing
Green Energy (Definition and Promotion) Bill: Committee Stage Report
Report of the Commons Committee Stage of the Green Energy (Definition and Promotion) Bill. This is a Private Member's Bill, introduced by Peter Ainsworth, which seeks to define and promote "green energy".
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Research Briefing
Marine and Coastal Access Bill [HL]
The Bill covers a broad range of marine issues and would: (1) set up a new Marine Management Organisation (MMO) under which many of the existing, diverse areas of marine regulation would be centralised; (2) streamline the existing marine licensing system and provide powers to create a joined up marine planning policy; (3) introduce new measures to reform fisheries management; (4) provide a framework for establishing marine conservation zones; and, (5) enable the creation of a route around the English coast.
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Research Briefing
Pre-payment meters
This note looks at calls for a reduction in the higher costs paid by energy consumers who use pre-payment meter.
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Research Briefing
Electronic Government
This Standard Note describes e-Government, outlines Government efforts in this field, and related issues.
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Research Briefing
Green Energy (Definition and Promotion) Bill (Bill 15 of 2008-09)
The Bill seeks to define and promote “green energy”. It aims to facilitate the development of green energy by: requiring a review and revision of the Government’s Microgeneration Strategy including feed-in tariffs; changing permitted development rights in planning law; and ensuring that green energy installations do not result in higher council tax or rates bills.
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Research Briefing
Russia and the West
A year on from Dmitry Medvedev’s succession to the Kremlin, this paper analyses the evolution of Russian foreign policy under both Putin and Medvedev. It seeks to identify the main themes, interests, and objectives of Russian foreign policy, and to appraise the role of President Medvedev in the direction of Russian diplomacy and his relationship with Prime Minister Putin. In so doing, it examines, in detail, Russia’s relationship with the United States, NATO, the EU, and the UK and analyses the role of energy in relations between Russia and the West. Finally, it looks ahead at the prospects for the relationship in light of President Obama’s declared intention to press the “reset” button in US-Russian relations.
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Research Briefing
Fuel Poverty Bill (Bill 11 of 2008-09)
This Bill would bring in three measures: an energy efficiency programme to bring existing homes up to current energy efficiency levels; social tariffs to limit vulnerable households' exposure to high energy bills; and reinforcement of the legal duty on the Government to act to end fuel poverty.
Total results (page 80 of 86)