Energy Bill

I notice that the Secretary of State's irritation is in direct proportion to the pertinence of our points. On the Severn barrage, evolution in the economics and the environmental legislation will always occur, so is the right hon. Gentleman saying that every time something changes, there will be another delay, a further study will be done and another decade will go by? When will the Government make a decision? We hear about nothing but continued delay. The study could have been started 10 years ago—the Secretary of State could have had his two-year study, the detailed work could have been done, and the thing could have been producing electricity by now—yet they are only just getting round to it. That delay is typical. Renewables technology is moving on incredibly rapidly and there are huge potential gains to be made as the technology develops. The Department's own website says that"““wind costs have declined by over 80 per cent in the last two decades””." The feasibility and attractiveness of renewables can quickly change dramatically, which is one of the reasons for my concern. That brings me on to the nuclear section, because if we as a nation lock ourselves in to a technology that we will be lumbered with for a century, and if renewables technology moves on as rapidly as it is doing, we may end up having to bail out uneconomic and undesirable nuclear facilities because we made commitments that we must honour, instead of being creative and encouraging the fast-moving, modern, forward-looking technologies that many renewables and energy efficiencies allow.