Energy Bill

I will not, because I am keen to ensure that the Minister of State has plenty of time to respond. We need to do more to secure that investment, and the Bill simply will not do it. Those who are looking to invest in nuclear power need much more certainty on the price of carbon, and the Bill fails to give them any reassurance. If we are to become more reliant on gas imports—many predictions suggest that 80 per cent. of our gas will be imported by 2020—we need much more action on gas storage, and the Bill has not a single word to say about that. If we are to drive forward investment in renewables, the Government have to accept that they have a strategic role in requiring high-voltage DC cables to be put in place, and providing much more support for embryonic marine renewables. They must ensure that we develop a real spirit of partnership, so that when applications for new renewable facilities come to our communities, they know that there is something significant in it for them if they decide to host those facilities. The Bill is not so much a plan of action as a statement of intent that the Government will think about consulting and having a review of whether they should change their energy policies. We need firm government and decisive action: time is not on our side, and the Bill is not up to the challenge. The Secretary of State is a very ambitious man—so ambitious, we are told, that one day he would even like to be Leader of the Opposition. The Bill is not ambitious, and if it goes to Committee we hope to work with the Government to find consensus and address many of the issues that have been left out of it.