Distinguished central and provincial leaders, dear guests, it is a pleasure to speak to you today.

This is a major year for our planet. The year of both COP26, hosted by the UK, and CBD COP15, of which China is President.

These events are intimately connected, because the issues they seek to address, the climate crisis and biodiversity loss, are two sides of the same coin, each contributes to the other.

And frankly, the situation is acute.

All over the world, floods, fires and other extreme weather is intensifying.

Recently, the UN’s climate science body, the IPCC, published its report.

And made clear that climate change affects every region on earth. That human activity is the cause. And that the window of time that we have to avoid the worst effects is closing fast.

So we must act now to reduce global emissions.

And that means taking action to accelerate the transition to clean energy, a transition supported by economics.

Today, the power sector accounts for almost a quarter of global emissions.

And yet solar and wind are cheaper than coal and gas in the majority of the world, solar is now indeed the cheapest form of electricity in history.

And renewables can help bring reliable power to communities for the first time, spurring development.

In short, a healthy economy and decarbonised power sector can go hand-in-hand.

In the United Kingdom, we have reduced coal in our energy mix from 40 percent in 2012 to less than 2 percent today, and we have created the world’s largest offshore wind sector, supporting thousands of jobs.

Here in China, President Xi Jinping has said that coal use will be strictly controlled over the next five years, and peak in 2025.

And China has committed to carbon neutrality by 2060, and to peaking emissions before 2030.

And of course, we look forward to hearing more details, and to China delivering on President Xi’s commitments, building on the progress that has already been made.

China has invested more in renewables than any other country on earth. And has become home to around a third of its renewable energy.

As well as taking action individually, the countries of the world must work together to accelerate that clean energy transition, ensuring we leave no one behind.

Because together we can create stronger incentives for investment, we can innovate faster, and achieve economies of scale.

So, I welcome this forum facilitating international collaboration, which is so vital, and the COP26 presidency is committed to enhancing collaboration across borders an indeed across society to accelerate the global energy transition, which we ultimately all want to see, by addressing policy, financial and technological barriers.

The United Kingdom is pleased to support the World Bank’s Energy Transition Programme here in Shanxi, and to work with China, and indeed other countries as well, on Mission Innovation, to accelerate innovation in clean energy technology.

We look forward to building on this cooperation between our nations to get the energy transition moving faster, and to unleash the opportunities available, and of course, ultimately, protect our planet.

Thank you. And the very best for your discussions over the next few days.

Vulnerable children and families across England will receive earlier and better support from local services, through a new fund to improve how data is shared between local partners, Rough Sleeping and Housing Minister Eddie Hughes MP announced today (3 September 2021).

The £7.9 million Data Accelerator Fund, will see 10 councils work more closely with police forces, local NHS services and schools to share data to ensure children and families receive the right help at the right time.

By sharing information across schools, health, housing, police and social care, frontline workers can get a full picture of an individual family’s needs and the often interconnected challenges they face, such as mental health issues, employment, and substance misuse.

Having the complete information means tailored, wraparound support can be put in place as early as possible.

Today’s announcement builds on previous work as part of the government’s Supporting Families programme where data sharing was used to identify children at risk of exploitation.

One of the 10 projects is based on the pioneering Born in Bradford study, where data was used to improve the health and wellbeing of communities, ensuring schools and health services are equipped to deal with the needs of the population.

Eddie Hughes MP, Minister for Rough Sleeping and Housing, said:

By local services sharing data, expertise and knowledge we can build a more complete picture of what is going on in a family’s life and use this to put in place tailored, wraparound support at an early stage.

This fund will give local areas the tools to identify and support vulnerable children and families as early as possible and help them to live more positive, fulfilling lives.

The 10 areas in England supported by the fund are: Nottingham, Leicestershire and Doncaster; Avon and Somerset; Reading, Portsmouth, Wokingham and West Berkshire; Sunderland; Leeds and Bradford; Doncaster and Wakefield; London; East Sussex; Greater Manchester; and Hertfordshire, Essex and Suffolk.

Examples of the projects being funded by the Data Accelerator Fund include:

• data modelling to identify families that require early help and support from services, with a focus on financial problems and homelessness (Nottingham and Leicestershire)
• using data from London boroughs, the Metropolitan Police and NHS North West London to plan and manage child social care placements (London)
• a local birth cohort study tracking the health of children born in Doncaster and Wakefield, based on a previous pioneering study in Bradford (Doncaster and Wakefield)

Funding for the data projects will run up until 2023 and is divided over two years.

The Data Accelerator Fund is part of the government’s wider approach to supporting vulnerable people and is alongside the £165 million latest phase of the Supporting Families Programme – helping families to build brighter futures.

This forms part of the Data Improvement Across Government programme – funded by the £200 million Shared Outcomes Fund to deliver projects across government.

The full funding breakdown for each area is as follows:

• Nottingham, Leicestershire and Doncaster: £525,500
• Avon and Somerset: £997,022
• Berkshire: £915,886
• Sunderland: £453,029
• Leeds and Bradford: £991,816
• Doncaster and Wakefield: £810,363
• London: £996,082
• East Sussex: £280,000
• Greater Manchester: £950,500
• Hertfordshire, Essex and Suffolk: £679,802

The Home Secretary has asked the independent Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD) to review the harm caused by nitrous oxide, known as laughing gas, after over half a million young people reported taking the drug in 2019-20.

Now the second most used drug by 16-24 year olds in the UK, the ACMD’s assessment could include more education for young people on its harms or tougher punishment for those who supply the drug to children.

Nitrous oxide, which is usually sold in small silver canisters and inhaled, can cause serious long-term effects such as vitamin B12 deficiency and anaemia. It is also commonly used at anti-social gatherings and leads to widespread littering in public places, bringing misery to communities.

As part of the review, the ACMD has also been asked to consider whether unlawful possession of nitrous oxide should be made an offence.

Home Secretary Priti Patel said:

Misusing drugs can have a devastating impact on lives and communities – we are determined to do all we can to address this issue and protect the futures of our children and young people.

Should the expert Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs recommend further restrictions on this drug, we stand ready to take tough action.

The sale of nitrous oxide for its psychoactive effects was made illegal after the Psychoactive Substances Act in 2016, but it is not currently a crime to be caught in possession of the drug. The government has concerns that this could be a significant factor resulting in the increasing consumption of the substance.

The ACMD previously provided advice on nitrous oxide in 2015 and concluded that it did not seem to warrant control under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971. However, given the increase in use among young people and concern over potential long-term effects, the Home Secretary has requested an updated assessment.

In 2019-20, 8.7% of 16 to 24-year-olds reported using nitrous oxide in the last 12 months, equivalent to around 549,000 people, according to the Crime Survey for England and Wales.

The government is taking a whole-system approach to tackling drugs – actively disrupting criminal supply chains which fuel illegal markets, supporting people through treatment and recovery, and ridding communities of the harm drug misuse causes.

Dame Carol Black was recently appointed as an independent advisor to drive forward progress in tackling drug misuse across society. Immediate actions to deal with the problem include expanding Project ADDER, which combines targeted law enforcement against drugs gangs with improved treatment and recovery services, to eight new local authorities with £31m in new funding for the next two years.

This follows a £148m package of new investment, announced in January, aimed at protecting people across the UK from the scourge of illegal drugs. The package included:

• £40m of new money to tackle county lines, bringing the total to £65m since November 2019. So far, this investment has seen more than 1,000 drug lines closed, over 5,800 arrests, over £2.9m in cash seized, and more than 1,500 vulnerable people safeguarded

• £28m to set up pilots of Project ADDER in five areas with some of the highest rates of drug misuse – Blackpool, Hastings, Middlesbrough, Norwich, and Swansea Bay

• an extra £80m to invest in drug treatment services across England to provide support to offenders with drug addictions