This House of Lords Library Briefing has been prepared in advance of the debate on 18 January 2018 on the following motion moved by Lord Teverson (Liberal Democrat) “that this House takes note of the case for the UK to remain a global leader for green finance, and for the UK’s financial sector to be resilient to climate change”.
Green Finance and the Resilience of the Financial Sector to Climate Change (311 KB , PDF)
The UK Government has defined green finance as including private sector investments in technologies, infrastructure and start-ups which assist in the creation of jobs, the expansion of businesses and the development of economic growth, whilst reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The G20’s Green Finance Study Group (GFSG) has described green finance as financing investments that provide environmental benefits in the broader context of environmentally sustainable development.
This Briefing outlines what green finance is, recent government policies designed to promote it and finishes with an examination of the potential effects of climate change on the UK’s financial sector, with a particular focus on the work of the Bank of England.
Green Finance and the Resilience of the Financial Sector to Climate Change (311 KB , PDF)
In the autumn budget the chancellor announced changes to inheritance tax reliefs. From April 2026, taxes would apply to agricultural assets over £1mn (or up to £3mn in certain circumstances). The government has said this would just affect the wealthiest landowners and disincentivise buying agricultural land to avoid tax. Farming groups have argued the policy is a threat to the future of family farming and the UK's food security.
In February 2024 the House of Lords Communications and Digital Committee published a report on large language models and generative AI. It highlighted the opportunities and risks this technology offers, and recommended actions the government should take to support the market while mitigating risks. The new government has said it will legislate to address safety risks arising from generative AI.
On 30 October 2024, Chancellor Rachel Reeves delivered her first budget which included the details of the settlement for the Department for Culture, Media and Sport. It also contained more general measures which relate to the cultural sector. This briefing gives an overview of how the cultural sector is currently funded, what was said in the budget in this area and what the sector has said in reaction to the announcements.
