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First Halloween, now Friday 13th – government appeal to High Court solar ruling

The Court of Appeal will hear the government’s challenge to last month’s High Court ruling that its solar cuts are illegal on Friday 13 January 2012.

The move follows a High Court ruling that the government’s plans to rush through sudden cuts to solar payments were illegal, following a legal challenge by Friends of the Earth and two solar firms, Solarcentury and HomeSun.

The hearing will be “rolled-up” so that the application for permission to appeal and the appeal itself will be held on the same day.

Friends of the Earth’s policy and campaigns director, Craig Bennett said: “Ministers’ insistence on continuing with the appeal process will simply add to the cloud of uncertainty hanging over the solar industry – and the thousands of jobs at stake. 

“Instead of wasting taxpayers’ money fighting this in the courts, Ministers should take steps to safeguard thousands of solar jobs and enable more homes, businesses and communities to plug in to clean energy.”