Energy and Climate Change and Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

I cannot understand why the Secretary of State does not listen if not to me, then to his own speeches. Perhaps he has been too long in the Treasury. Let me remind him of what he said to the Environmental Audit Committee, and I shall comment on it after I have read it:""The truth about energy efficiency is that it pays to do it, but the problem is the upfront costs. And the task is to spread those costs over time, not over the time that someone lives in a house, because that might be eight or nine years and that's probably not enough time, to spread it over a longer period so the repayment, if you like, is connected to the house not the person and to find ways"—" [Interruption.] The right hon. Gentleman should listen to this, as I am quoting his own words back to him and this is a particularly important point:""in which I think the private sector and others, local councils maybe… can come in and provide that upfront finance"." That is what the Secretary of State said on 27 October to the Environmental Audit Committee, so I suggest that he listens to the evidence that he gives to Committees and puts it in the Bills that he brings before the House.