Urgent Debates Declined — Greenhouse Gas Reduction—2020 Target

I have received a letter from Jeanette Fitzsimons seeking to debate under Standing Order 380 the Government’s emissions reduction target in light of evidence from a new study conducted in Germany, the results of which were made public in New Zealand yesterday. The application arises as a result of newspaper reports of the new study. There is no ministerial responsibility for the results of the study, and, as has been ruled on many occasions, a continuing issue—the accumulation of evidence concerning the setting of emissions reduction targets—cannot give rise to a debate under Standing Order 380. There being no particular case of recent occurrence, this application is declined.