Energy Bill

I thank the Minister for bringing forward these amendments. They are not everything that we asked for, but they show progress from where we were in Committee. We welcome with great enthusiasm any sinner who repents. The case for smart meters is as strong as ever. Their introduction is supported by the industry, and overwhelmingly by consumer groups, as smart meters will get rid of prepayment meters and estimates forever. There is also great support from the environmental groups, thanks to the important contribution that smart meters can make to tackling energy inefficiency. We think that the Government should have gone further. We would have liked them to insert a specified time scale of 10 years for the introduction of smart meters across the whole country. However, the fall-back position adopted in Committee was that the Government should table an amendment with permissive powers to avoid the need for primary legislation in due course. They have done that, so perhaps we should give the Minister not three cheers, or two, but one and a half cheers for what he has achieved. One day in Committee, the Minister told us that he would be going home to fit his own electronic display device. He said that the EDD was in its box in the cupboard, and that we had shamed him into going home and fitting it that very weekend. We expressed our concern that he might electrocute himself in the process, and we are obviously delighted that he did not do so. Nevertheless, did he summon up the courage to fit it, and has he found the device useful? Many of us share the concern of the hon. Member for Sherwood (Paddy Tipping) that VDUs are often almost worse than useless and that they distract from what is a very important debate. Our view that the Government should have gone further and put in place a time scale is supported by many others. The Energy Saving Trust's briefing to us states:"““We welcome the amendments put down by the Government to facilitate this, but believe the Government needs to go further. Without Government mandating of full smart metering, the carbon saving potential of these devices will not be fully realised.””" The Government's policy has changed. In Committee, the Minister made it clear that he was not persuaded that the overall benefits of smart meters outweighed the disadvantages, as he saw them. He could not tell us whether primary or secondary legislation would be required. It is thus clear that there has been a change in the Government's thinking, which we are pleased about. In November 2007, the Prime Minister said:"““For every household over the next decade there will be the offer of a smart meter that will allow two-way communication between the supplier and customer, giving more accurate bills of course and making it easier for people to generate their own energy through micro generation and sell it on to the grid.””" That is not what the Minister is talking about today. That was clearly not the EDD, because that does not allow two-way communication. What did the Prime Minister mean when he made that statement? The Minister seems to be rowing back from the 10-year commitment. It is clear from those in the industry and others that if this is going to happen, there must be a clear mandate from the Government. The Energy Retail Association's advice to us stated:"““If the ambition to have all homes in Britain fitted with smart meters is to be achieved, the process of planning needs to begin sooner rather than later. In order to achieve the Government's stated expectation that smart meters will be rolled out to every British home within ten years, the industry needs a mandate…It must commit now to a clear timetable and ensure that a decision is made quickly to grant the mandate.””" There is concern about the Government's lack of leadership. This morning, about an hour or so before we entered the Chamber, we received the response to the consultation document—I suppose it is better to have it at that stage than not at all. There are areas in the response where we would have looked for more leadership from the Government, rather than just suggestions about a need for further consultation. Indeed, the opening paragraphs of the document suggest that the Government have moved the goalposts since the Prime Minister's suggestion last November, because they say:"““Views were also invited on the Government's expectation that over the next ten years, all domestic gas and electricity customers will be given smart meters with visual displays and on how smart metering could be delivered to smaller businesses.””" That was not what the Prime Minister said. He said that this would be delivered to domestic consumers within 10 years.