Energy Bill

I have listened to the hon. Member for North Southwark and Bermondsey (Simon Hughes), but I must say that he seems not to have taken account of the genuine concerns about some of the assumptions that have been made about climate change. However, I shall not elaborate on that as there is no need to do so now. I have taken an active interest in the whole energy question, and I agree with the hon. Gentleman on one point: energy security lies at the heart of our economic security. I commend everyone in the House for their realism on that point. However, I do not believe that wind farms, particularly onshore wind farms, are the right way in which to achieve part of that energy security. That applies particularly in environments such as my constituency where, to put it bluntly, they are totally unjustified. I acknowledge that there should be an energy mix and that offshore wind farms have some merit. I suspect from my previous exchanges with the Secretary of State that he agrees with me about carbon capture, about which I have campaigned for as long as I can remember. I believe profoundly in British coal, which should be part of our energy security and part of our foreign policy, and I applaud those who are in favour of it, including those in Government circles. If we can develop proper carbon capture methods and get things right, we will be able to supplement the energy security that we really need. Those of us who are rather more sceptical, to say the least, about climate change as a whole will none the less acknowledge certain changes. It has been pretty cold recently, as I am sure people will acknowledge. There are important issues in the mix; carbon capture is definitely a plus, and wind farms are definitely a minus.