UK carbon capture and storage technology took a major step forward as Energy Secretary Chris Huhne launched a flagship test programme today in Yorkshire.

The project, which is worth more than £20million, is a partnership between industry partners Scottish and Southern Energy (SSE), Doosan Power Systems and Vattenfall and is supported by DECC, the Technology Strategy Board and Northern Way.

Innovative new technology will capture the equivalent of up 100 tonnes of carbon emissions a day from SSE’s Ferrybridge coal-fired power station.

Launching the CCPilot 100+ project, Chris Huhne, Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change said:

“This flagship test programme at Ferrybridge represents an important milestone in the UK’s plans to develop CCS and provides a critical bridge to meeting our long term aim of cost competitive CCS deployment by the 2020s.

“This is the first operating carbon capture plant attached to a power station at this scale in the UK and has benefited from more than £6 million in public money. This investment will be invaluable to the wider commercial scale deployment of CCS by reducing uncertainty, driving down costs and developing the UK supply chain and skills.”

Iain Gray, Chief Executive of the Technology Strategy Board, said:

“The Technology Strategy Board is delighted to provide support for this pilot project. It represents a major step towards the demonstration and deployment of carbon capture and storage in the UK and emphasises the vital role that innovation is playing in bringing the technology closer to commercialisation.”

The project is part a £125 million Government-led CCS research and development programme which will run between 2011 and 2015. Over 20 British based companies have supplied components to the Ferrybridge carbon capture plant.

Liberal Democrat MEP for South East England Catherine Bearder said today that a new EU law that will require palm oil to be labelled on food packaging in Europe will help protect threatened forests in Africa and Asia.

Deforestation for palm oil has caused the loss of thousands of acres of forest and destroyed habitats for a range of animals, including orangutans, tigers and birds, but the new regulation means food manufacturers can no longer conceal their use of the ingredient in their products under the generic term ‘vegetable oil’.

Catherine Bearder said:

“This is great news. Consumers must be given the choice of whether to buy products with palm oil or to avoid them. This will now be done with mandatory labeling across Europe.

“I am not calling for a total boycott of palm oil, but there is demand in Europe for people to know about when sustainable palm oil is used in food. I hope this will encourage the industry to change.”

Palm oil is a hidden ingredient found in almost half of packaged products across Europe, including chocolate, biscuits, cereals, margarine and crisps.

It is hoped when the law comes into force in 2015 companies will be encouraged to shift to more sustainable sources of the ingredient.

The decision came after the Clear Labels, Not Forests campaign, which was launched in March by a team of conservationists, including the Oxford-based Sumatran Orangutan Society (SOS).

Helen Buckland, UK director of SOS, said:

“This is a significant day in our fight to protect precious rainforests and biodiversity.

“The spread of oil palm plantations is a major driver of deforestation in South East Asia. Consumers want to know if products contain palm oil and if so, where that palm oil comes from.

“This new regulation will make palm oil visible on ingredients lists, enabling consumer choice and providing leverage for European companies to clean up their supply chains and only use certified sustainable palm oil.”

Liberal Democrat MP, Don Foster, has welcomed his Live Music Bill becoming one step closer to law. The Bill, which will free small venues from red tape when showcasing live music and make it easier to stage events in school and village halls, has successfully passed its second reading in the House of Commons.

The Live Music Bill was tabled in the Lords by the Liberal Democrats. Don Foster is the Bill’s sponsor in the House of Commons.

The aim of the Live Music Bill is to reduce the crippling affect that red tape and bureaucracy had on the live music industry across the country but specifically in Bath’s pubs. The Bill will remove unnecessary licensing restrictions that are currently in place for unamplified music, and for amplified music performed to audiences of fewer than 200 people.

Commenting Don Foster said:

“If this Bill passes its remaining parliamentary stages, it will help reverse the decline of live music events in smaller venues.

“By removing unnecessary red tape it will help struggling venues such as pubs and clubs and preserve our world class grassroots music scene.

“It is significant that not one MP objected to the passage of the Bill. Across all parties, MPs agree that the red tape on our live music must go.”

Alan Morgan, founder of the Bath based brewery, Abbey Ales and Inns, was delighted by the news:

“The Live Music Bill will be a great help to the pub industry in Bath as it will allow our small venues to put on music without the hassle of red-tape”

“Music goes hand in hand with British pubs but existing licensing laws make it nigh on impossible for small pubs to put on live entertainment”

“Hopefully, the Live Music Bill will become law as this will be great benefit to us at the Assembly Inn where live music will be a regular feature.”

David Jackson, Head of Marketing at Bath Tourism Plus also welcomed the news, adding:

“Anything that removes regulation for small businesses is a very positive thing, particularly for a city like Bath which has an active arts, cultural and live music scene”.

After questioning George Osborne during the Chancellor’s Autumn Statement, Liberal Democrat MP for Bristol West, Stephen Williams, has received an assurance that the income tax threshold will continue to rise next year, in spite of tougher than expected fiscal circumstances. This was a key Lib Dem policy at the General Election and means that lower paid workers will pay less tax and the least well off will be taken out of tax altogether.

Stephen also welcomed the news that the Coalition Government will raise pensions and unemployment benefits next year in order to stop the high rate of inflation from squeezing the incomes of the poorest. This comes on top of last week’s announcement by Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg that a £1 billion fund is to be set up to help combat rising youth unemployment. Taken together, Stephen argues, these commitments demonstrate that the Coalition is serious about protecting the least well off through these tough times.

Stephen has written more about the Chancellor’s Autumn Statement, which you can read here.

The Coalition Government has announced plans to make sure carers are able get a break.

Last year, Liberal Democrat Care Minister, Paul Burstow announced an extra £400m for Primary Care Trusts to allow carers to take a well-earned break, but a recent study has found that many PCTs are not spending this money on carers.

The Coalition Government has now announced a new framework to ensure that by September next year, the local NHS must have plans in place to support carers and must publish these plans.

Commenting, Adrian said:

“In difficult times Liberal Democrats are doing the right thing and making sure we help those who need it most.

“I am proud that Liberal Democrats are making life a little bit easier for carers in Torbay who are some of the most unsung heroes we have.

“This is a manifesto commitment that the Liberal Democrats are delivering in the Coalition Government.”

Commenting further, Liberal Democrat Care Minister, Paul Burstow said:

“We know that most people who need care would prefer for it to be provided by a loved one and that personal touch can make the world of difference to their lives.

“Family carers contribute billions of pounds to the economy with the amount of care and support they give, driven by nothing but a selfless desire to help those they love, reducing the need for local authorities and the NHS to step in.

“It is only right we try and reward those carers with a few days off here and there, or a short break away, to alleviate them of the day-to-day pressure that comes with caring.

“That is why we have asked the NHS to work closer than ever before with local authorities, to pool their money, to agree plans and to make sure carers get the break they all deserve.”

£200m of new and additional Government funding has today been announced to provide a special time-limited ‘introductory’ offer to boost the early take up of the Government’s Green Deal energy efficiency scheme.

With bills rising because of rocketing global energy prices, the Government wants to see as many people as possible benefiting when the Green Deal hits the high street next year.

The announcement follows the consultation on the Green Deal that was launched by the Government yesterday.

Liberal Democrat Chief Secretary to the Treasury Danny Alexander said:

“I can announce today that as part of the Autumn Statement we will provide £200m of funding for new and additional support to enable a special time-limited ‘introductory offer’ for the Green Deal.

“An offer that could save early adopters hundreds of pounds.

“A fund to get the Green Deal off to a flying start.

“One that will work with the Green Deal mechanism and the ECO to motivate thousands of more consumers to take up energy efficiency measures, over the next two years.”

Energy and Climate Change Secretary Chris Huhne said:

“We want the Green Deal to be a game changer for British consumers who’ve been buffeted by global energy prices.

“The earlier you Green Deal your home, the quicker you’ll benefit from a warmer and cosier property as well as protect yourself from rocketing prices.

“This big injection of Government funding delivers on our promise to ensure the Green Deal hits the ground running, and make it as attractive as possible so that people start to benefit from day one.”

The funding announcement follows the commitment made by the Chancellor in Budget 2011, in which he said that the Government was committed to the success of the Green Deal and will act to encourage and incentivise take-up so that the Green Deal will appeal to households, businesses and prospective providers alike.

The Green Deal framework will be launched from October 2012.

Yesterday’s consultation outlines the three big benefits of the groundbreaking scheme:

- Every British home and business will be able to install packages of energy saving technologies such as insulation at no upfront cost making their property warmer and cosier straight away, with repayments made over time out of the energy savings. Strict standards will be put in place to prevent consumers being ripped off by cowboys.

- A new requirement on energy companies to provide support with an estimated value of £1.3 billion a year to ensure everyone is able to benefit from the Green Deal – no matter their income or the type of house they live in. Additional help will be available to ensure the fuel poor get better boilers and fix draughty homes while subsidy will also be provided to help tackle homes that are hard to insulate, including solid wall homes.

- The Green Deal is expected to kick start around £14 billion of private sector investment over the next decade – with new safeguards to help small family firms as well as big high street names get involved in the Green Deal. The Green Deal could support at least 65,000 insulation and construction jobs by 2015.

Further details of how this funding will be used will be announced next year as the Government assesses how best to stimulate early take up.

Up to 20,000 motorists could be driving uninsured after responding to cheap insurance offers advertised online or via small ads.

‘Ghost broking’ is seen as an emerging threat within the insurance fraud arena, with fraudsters targeting people who cannot afford to insure their car.

Importantly a new fraud unit within the police force has pledged to tackle this problem as part of a drive to combat insurance fraud, recently estimated to be costing the UK £3billion per year.

The Insurance Fraud Enforcement Department (IFED) will be funded by the insurance industry and run with operational independence by the City of London Police.

“Ghost brokers” profile their targets as motorists who are economising and looking for cheaper insurance deals. These motorists are likely to be young, living within communities where English is a second language and overall there is a lack of knowledge about insurance. Some of these drivers have purchased policies that are worthless.

Another scenario for carrying out the fraud involves ghost brokers applying to genuine insurance companies on behalf of the customer. In these cases personal details are changed to avoid pushing up the cost. Customers tend to live in areas where insurance premiums are particularly high. While some motorists may have agreed to some details being changed some are unaware that this has transpired until it’s too late.

One reported case is of 18-year-old female student from the Midlands, who was quoted £4,000 for insurance for a Ford Fiesta. Through her network of friends the woman was put in touch with an insurance company offering insurance at half the cost in return for a cash deposit of £700. It was a cheap deal because she would be taking advantage of a staff discount from an inside contact at the insurance company.

The woman thought better of handing over cash after a face to face meeting with the broker and trusted her instincts not to hand over any money but her friend who was also present convinced her that she could trust the broker. After parting with the £700 deposit, the woman provided her details believing that she was agreeing to further payments of £70 per month. A policy was e-mailed to her but she was surprised when more than the agreed amount was debited from her account.

In her words:

“The payment came out of my bank but it was for more than the £70. I was scared to phone the insurance company in case they said: ‘It’s fraud and you are in trouble.’”

The person the woman had done business with had been a ghost broker who had falsely submitted her details as a 48-year-old driving instructor who had a five-year no-claims bonus. The 18-year-old had only been driving for a year.

Steve Gaywood, head of counter-fraud at AXA, said:

“We all know car insurance premiums have risen in the last couple of years, and for some motorists it is difficult to afford or find.

“It seems that some unscrupulous individuals are using this as a hook to con people into buying insurance that isn’t valid.”

Det Supt Bob Wishart of the City of London Police said:

“Ghost broking is an emerging threat within the insurance fraud arena, costing the industry millions of pounds, leaving companies exposed and meaning thousands of people are unknowingly uninsured.

“This new criminality is particularly prevalent in motor insurance, with fraudsters looking to capitalise on what is a compulsory and sometimes costly product.

“We will soon have a new police unit specifically to tackle insurance fraud. Ghost broking is a growing part of this problem and tackling it head-on will be a priority.”

The Insurance Fraud Bureau offers advice to motorists shopping around for cheaper car insurance. The first step is to research any broker or company and make certain that are registered with the Financial Services Authority. In this way you can confirm that they are regulated.

The Bureau also offers tips to avoid being defrauded by an illegal insurance advisor. These are:

• Do not pay money to individuals you do not definitely know are legally providing insurance policies.

• Do not pay money into a personal bank account for an insurance premium.

• Ensure you understand what insurance cover is required and what you are purchasing.

• For peace of mind with your insurance, be safe, be sure. Check the FSA website or the ABI website.

If you or someone you know has paid money to an illegal insurance broker, report it to Action Fraud so that the incident can be passed on to the police.

Commenting on the announcement that the Coalition Government will not go ahead with a planned 2% rise in the amount train operators can put up fares by, Co-chair of the Liberal Democrat Parliamentary Party Committee for Transport, Julian Huppert said:

“This is good news for train passengers. The Liberal Democrats are determined to stand up for passengers and I am glad the Coalition has done the right thing and protected them from the planned increase.

“Liberal Democrats want to see rail fares come down after years of Labour pushing them up above inflation, but as the Coalition deals with the mess we inherited from Labour it has not been possible to go as far as we would like.

“Liberal Democrats have cut taxes for working people and scrapping the fare hike is another sign of how we are determined to do as much as possible to give people practical help in difficult times.”

Liberal Democrat MP for Cheadle, Mark Hunter, has welcomed the Chancellor’s Autumn Statement, which will see pensioners £275 a year better off, pre-school support to double the number of 2-year-olds, a Youth Contract to get youngsters into work and a £5bn investment plan to modernise UK infrastructure.

Delivering his Statement to the House of Commons, the Chancellor confirmed that the basic state pension would increase by £5.30 per week from April next year as a consequence of the pension triple-lock – a key Lib Dem commitment secured in the Coalition Agreement.

The Statement also saw announcements on tackling youth unemployment, reducing rail fare increases, and increasing the rate of the bank levy. The Government is taking steps to address fuel costs, by delaying the fuel duty increase and cancelling the inflation-related increase altogether.

Commenting, Mark said:

“This is the largest ever cash increase in the basic state pension, and it is thanks to the Liberal Democrats’ pension triple-lock. Pensioners across the country will be £275 a year better off. This will be a real help to many of my constituents across the Cheadle area.”

“I am also pleased with plans for a Youth Contract and the doubling in the number of 2-year-olds from the poorest backgrounds who will get free pre-school. Lower rail fare increases and help for motorists are also very welcome, as is greater support for small businesses, through extending the business rate holiday to April 2013 and lowering the cost of borrowing.

“The economic situation remains incredibly tough, but Liberal Democrats in Government are committed to fighting for fairness for those on low and middle incomes.”

A new national metal theft taskforce is to be set up following a £5million boost from the Treasury.

As part of our committment to tackle crime, the Home Office recognises metal theft as a serious problem, and is working with other departments and law enforcement on co-ordinated action to tackle it.

The new multi-agency taskforce, led by the British Transport Police, will target both metal thieves and scrap metal dealers who trade in stolen goods and fuel the demand.

The taskforce will develop intelligence, coordinate activity and target and disrupt criminal networks – both the thieves and also the criminal market, including rogue elements of the scrap metal industry.

Crime Prevention Minister Lord Henley welcomed today’s announcement: ‘The Government recognises that metal theft is a serious and growing national and international problem that causes significant damage to communities, businesses, and the UK’s infrastructure telecommunications, rail and power networks.’