Energy Bill

I draw the attention of the House to my entry in the Register of Members’ Financial Interests, in...

As a member of the Energy and Climate Change Committee, I want to compliment the hon. Gentleman o...

It is certainly true, as the hon. Gentleman says, that we waited a long time for the draft Energy...

What the hon. Gentleman has just said exactly echoes what businesses in my constituency are telli...

I agree with the hon. Lady and will develop that very point.

The element of perceived polit...

But will my hon. Friend concede that if we put up more wind farms, we would also have to build ga...

I recommend that my right hon. Friend look at the latest report from National Grid, which shows t...

My hon. Friend began by saying that the whole purpose of his amendment was to provide certainty. ...

I am not sure that I completely follow my right hon. Friend’s concerns. Those points in the Bill ...

In Northern Ireland, Airtricity’s electricity prices have gone up by 17.5%, and Northern Ireland ...

On the wider point about future prices, it would be dishonest for anyone to suggest that we could...

I am listening closely to what the hon. Gentleman is saying. Does he agree that the purpose of se...

That is certainly one of the reasons for the amendment. It would help to create more jobs in the ...

How did the debate go at the Conservative party conference?

Had my hon. Friend been able to attend the Conservative party conference—where, incidentally, he ...

My hon. Friend will be well aware that one of the biggest road blocks to achieving progress in th...

I say to my hon. Friend that there are two people who could give a decisive signal to the Chancel...

Given that the hon. Gentleman has chosen to reduce this issue to a political knockabout, it would...

I frequently pass the time of day in the warmest possible terms with my right hon. Friend the Cha...

I am listening to the things that the amendment will not do, but will my hon. Friend tell my cons...

That is quite a challenge because we cannot predict exactly which will be the most cost-effective...

I am pleased to join the hon. Member for South Suffolk (Mr Yeo) in supporting amendment 11 and vo...

Will the hon. Gentleman tell us what the figure would be if we were to use the lower end of the e...

Of course. The hon. Gentleman must be forgiven for not having a memory retention of more than 10 ...

Is it not the case that the climate has been changing for the last 4.5 billion years, while surpr...

Yes, the hon. Gentleman is right to say that the climate has been changing over billions of years...

Does the hon. Gentleman not accept that there are already many positive signals for investors in ...

I agree that it is important to address the question of what the costs to British industry and Br...

I support the decarbonisation target. Does my hon. Friend agree that this issue is not just about...

My hon. Friend is absolutely right. One of the great mistakes this Government have made on energy...

The hon. Gentleman mentions Siemens. In Germany emissions per capita and per unit of GDP are high...

That point is often made; it is often said that Germany is getting rid of its low-carbon nuclear ...

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rose—

I shall give way to my hon. Friend the Member for Ynys Môn (Albert Owen) first, and then to the h...

Order. Before the hon. Member for Ynys Môn intervenes, I should point out that although the hon. ...

I will be brief, but my hon. Friend’s comments on the German issue have provoked me to intervene....

I wholly accept that point.

Will the hon. Gentleman give way?

If the hon. Gentleman will forgive me, I will not, as I have tried to give way as much as possibl...

These amendments have attracted significant debate and interest across the House. Let me say, fir...

The Minister referred to the amendments introduced in Committee as being ones that enabled the Go...

The amendments we introduced in Committee allow the Government, if they so wish, to set a target....

Was my hon. Friend, like me, struck by the comments made by the chief policy officer of the CBI a...

My hon. Friend anticipates me; I was certainly due to quote the CBI in support, and I will come t...

The Minister states that trajectories are already in place, not only for electricity generation a...

No, I certainly will not do that; gas is a key part of our carbon plan, and I hope that the hon. ...

Is the Minister at all concerned that China, the United States of America, Japan and most other n...

Some have not passed climate change legislation, of course, which is why they are not bound to se...

One thing about which I am pretty certain is that the world’s concern about climate change will b...

I can certainly agree with my hon. Friend that the concern might well be more intense, but whethe...

Let me make the record absolutely clear. I said that during the 4 billion year history of the pla...

I am sure that those who support my hon. Friend will be grateful for that explanation. The quotat...

There are many reasons to support the decarbonisation amendments, and many hon. Members—most rece...

I read recently that Tuvalu would be wiped off the face of the earth within 10 years if we did no...

I do not really know where to start to respond to such an ignorant intervention. I will not even ...

I remind the House that I have declared in the register that I offer advice on global economies t...

Is the right hon. Gentleman aware, though, that as part of the United Nations framework conventio...

China is allowed to have a totally different approach to carbon targets because it is a growing e...

Does my right hon. Friend agree that to an extent the EU may even be dropping out, leaving us wit...

My hon. Friend is right, I fear, but that goes a little wider than the amendment. What we are try...

Is my right hon. Friend as concerned as I am that any free trade agreement between the US and the...

My hon. Friend is absolutely right. The Americans are playing a blinder on all this, and we need ...

I rise to speak in support of amendments 11 to 20, which, as the hon. Member for South Suffolk (M...

The Minister talked repeatedly about investment and my hon. Friend refers to the uncertainty of i...

My hon. Friend is absolutely right about the worrying signals on confidence. That is part of the ...

Does the hon. Gentleman agree that if we set a territorial decarbonisation target, we can make in...

If we want the best chance of getting those jobs in the UK, the best chance of Siemens building i...

The point that I am trying to make is that if this country wants to make a decent impact on reduc...

They are not mutually exclusive.

As my right hon. Friend says, they are not mutually exclusive. We need to do both. Some here toda...

Why does the hon. Gentleman think that industry fell so far and fast as a proportion of total out...

What we have learned from the past three years, as was pointed out by my hon. Friend the Member f...

rose—

I will give way one last time.

The hon. Gentleman tells us that he has learned lessons in the past three years. Did he learn any...

What I learned from the time towards the end of the Labour Government is that a focus on industri...

I rise to speak with a fair amount of trepidation; I feel like Lord Cardigan, commander of the ga...

I am listening carefully to the hon. Gentleman’s list. He will know that some elements of it are ...

We can bide our time on that until we get to that group of amendments.

Thank you, Mr Deputy Speaker. I will charge wildly on.

What about my question?

I have been told not to deal with it; I think the direction I was given is quite clear.

Of ...

I trust the hon. Member for Edinburgh West (Mike Crockart) will support a number of later amendme...

Is not the reason for that that the levy control framework and the contract for difference requir...

The hon. Gentleman makes an interesting point. It may well be the case that the specific mechanis...

I am pleased to follow the hon. Member for Southampton, Test (Dr Whitehead), but I am not sure wh...

Does my hon. Friend agree that there is a danger that the Bill could mean that poor folk in const...

Yes, there is an element of that. Moreover, we will be unable to do anything about it, because a ...

Had the hon. Gentleman paid attention, he would have noticed that I mentioned the basis on which ...

On both the occasions that I sought to intervene or have an exchange with the hon. Gentleman, he ...

The hon. Gentleman has made an important point, so I want to respond to it. He will, I trust, hav...

Yes, it is robust in that sense, but the reason it is robust is because almost any conceivable ch...

I understand fully the call in the amendment for the decarbonisation of the energy sector, and fo...

There have been quite a few references to China, but China has set very ambitious carbon-intensit...

Absolutely. I fully agree with the hon. Gentleman. The Energy and Climate Change Committee, of wh...

On the latest figures, China is ahead of target on those carbon-intensity reductions, so it is ha...

I am sure that the hon. Gentleman is correct, but it would not be too difficult in China to make ...

I congratulate my hon. Friend on the points he is making, which are not often made in this place....

That is an excellent and important point that I will come to shortly. We have understood for gene...

Yes.

What are the emission levels? I am not saying it is not safe, by the way; I am saying that there ...

I have listened to the hon. Gentleman’s arguments. Does he accept that in America, shale gas has ...

Order. Decarbonisation is the focus. While I am on my feet, I would also like to gently remind al...

Thank you, Madam Deputy Speaker. I understand exactly what you are saying. I waited four hours ye...

Order. My comment was not directed at you, Mr Lavery, but sitting in the Chamber all day yesterda...

Once again, thank you very much for your guidance, Madam Deputy Speaker.

The shale gas issu...

At the outset I should draw attention to the Register of Members’ Financial Interests. I have int...

rose—

Order. We still have four speakers wishing to speak in the debate, as well as Mr Yeo, who I am su...

I strongly support the amendments in this group. It is imperative to decarbonise the energy secto...

In the north-east, energy in all its forms concerns my constituents almost more than any other is...

It is a pleasure to follow the hon. Member for Hexham (Guy Opperman), although I am disappointed ...

I support the comments that my hon. Friend the Member for Ynys Môn (Albert Owen) and other collea...

I pay tribute to everyone who has taken part in the debate and thank you, Mr Deputy Speaker, for ...

I beg to move, That the clause be read a Second time.

With this it will be convenient to discuss the following:

Government new clause 12—Pilot sc...

We now turn to the topics of electricity demand reduction and route to market. I shall speak in f...

I want to push the Minister on that point. Will any of those documents address the opportunities ...

Indeed. I hope we will have time to discuss the hon. Gentleman’s amendment on carbon monoxide det...

Will the Minister define more clearly what he means by “active consideration”? Those Members who ...

I deem the raising of the FITs threshold to be very attractive and am personally driving the issu...

The Minister will appreciate that this is music to my ears, but how does he expect to be able to ...

Both, I hope. Certainly, it would not be satisfactory if the big six became the big seven or eigh...

Does the Minister mean that a district such as Bromley in my constituency might have its own gree...

That is a real possibility. A number of local authorities already have that ambition and are usin...

I am extremely interested in what the Minister is saying. Is not one of the problems, however, th...

We are already embarked on a massive programme of grid renewal. The National Grid has published a...

The Minister raised a number of issues. I wish to focus on his points about demand reduction and ...

Has the hon. Lady not noticed the launch of the green deal, which is possibly the most significan...

We wanted properly to scrutinise the Government’s plans in Committee. We have only recently had t...

We are expecting to run a capacity market trial in 2014. We expect the pilot for energy demand re...

I thank the Minister for his intervention, and hope he will lay before the House the rules govern...

I congratulate my hon. Friend on the way in which she is putting forward her case. She will be aw...

We need to see urgent action in this regard. Other countries are forging ahead with numerous loca...

I certainly support the amendment, but I wonder why the hon. Lady limited the threshold to 10 MW....

If the hon. Lady looks at the amendment, she will see that it refers to

“not less than 10 m...

I am normally a loyal Back Bencher. I sometimes skip merrily through the Division Lobbies behind ...

Despite my hon. Friend’s eloquence, I fear that he and I are never going to agree on his interpre...

The Minister is right. He did not, however, mention the other reason that is sometimes put forwar...

I am still digesting what was said about the supply and demand curve. It is, of course, also poss...

Well, I am going to have to think about that one for a few minutes before coming back with a subs...

Let us just be clear that we are not talking about reducing businesses’ access to electricity; we...

I fear that within 20 or 30 years those who are now talking about the temperature changes we are ...

rose—

I will not give way any further. I have made my point. I will be supporting the Government, as mu...

I think the hon. Member for Monmouth (David T. C. Davies) will be going home tonight and throwing...

I have been following the argument closely. Although we are not in a position to announce details...

I thank the Minister for that clarification. I am encouraged by the thinking that clearly is begi...

As I understand it, small generators in some parts of the world, particularly America, are increa...

My hon. Friend is right. Indeed, there are companies in the UK, such as Ecotricity, which have no...

I want to say a few words about the amendments in my name, starting with new clause 2, which deal...

The figure of 36% sounds rather large. How is that made up?

I refer the hon. Gentleman to a report by McKinsey on DECC’s website, which sets out exactly how ...

I tried to get cavity wall insulation and I was told that because of my brickwork I could not hav...

Obviously, I am not deeply acquainted with the brickwork of the hon. Gentleman home, but I find i...

Order. New clause 3 comes in the next group.

I apologise, I thought they were all wrapped up together in one happy family.

I am delighte...

We have a long way to go, but since the coalition came to power, hundreds of thousands of homes a...

I am delighted to hear the Minister say that. All I want to do is build on that wonderful beginni...

It is a pleasure to follow the hon. Member for Brighton, Pavilion (Caroline Lucas) and my hon. Fr...

The hon. Gentleman is energetically outlining the case for the community initiatives that are tak...

I absolutely agree with the hon. Gentleman, who hits on the key point that this is about shifting...

Will the hon. Gentleman explain why the Solar Trade Association is opposed to raising the thresho...

I have to inform the hon. Gentleman that had I been a representative of the Solar Trade Associati...

This has been a very thoughtful debate. I am sorry that I have not been able to deliver everythin...

I beg to move, That the Bill be now read the Third time.

Let me begin by thanking those fro...

I am grateful to the Secretary of State for thanking everyone for contributing to making the Bill...

The hon. Lady might not have noticed that the Government have responded to a lot of the debates a...

I am listening closely to the Secretary of State, but does he not share my slight concern about t...

We always said we would publish the document in July 2013, and we are on track to publish it in J...

Let me begin by paying tribute to my hon. Friends the Member for Rutherglen and Hamilton West (To...

Will the right hon. Lady give way?

I enjoy many train rides from Yorkshire with the hon. Gentleman, but I will not give way to him a...

I am grateful for this chance to speak on Third Reading, and I will be brief.

In bringing f...

I said at the outset that SNP Members did not oppose this Bill on Second Reading and we will not ...

On that subject, statistics show that in the past year 24,000 people died from cold-related cause...

That is an excellent way forward. The Minister of State, Department of Energy and Climate Change,...

It is a pleasure finally to be speaking on Third Reading. I am a member of the Select Committee o...

One of the reasons why I was not here earlier is that colleagues from our region and I were with ...

I entirely agree. This needs to be seen in a much wider context than energy; this is about jobs a...

I am sorry to sound a negative note, but to my mind the Bill falls well short of what is needed. ...

I have sat in the Chamber for more than six hours today and heard many interesting speeches. It h...

Order. I have been listening carefully to what the hon. Gentleman is saying, which is clearly hea...

Thank you, Madam Deputy Speaker, for making the allowance that you have. I thought it was importa...

The Bill fails to meet four essential tests. First, will this Bill help to reduce energy costs fo...

I was not intending to speak, but I have been moved to do so by the speech made by the hon. Membe...

rose—

I give way to the hon. Lady briefly.

The hon. Gentleman has not been in the Chamber in the past two days, but over and again those on ...

I have followed this debate closely both inside and outside the Chamber, and I am afraid that it ...

rose—

rose—

No, I will not give way. There are very concerned people who feel very disempowered with respect ...