UK Parliament / Open data

Energy Bill

Proceeding contribution from Lord Whitty (Labour) in the House of Lords on Tuesday, 30 July 2013. It occurred during Debate on bills and Committee proceeding on Energy Bill.

My Lords, I think that we are near the end and, clearly, I am going to withdraw the amendment. However, I am both disappointed and unreassured. I say to the Minister and the noble Lord, Lord Deben, that the body proposed in the amendment has a very different and more precise role than the one proposed by the noble Lord, Lord Oxburgh, which we can argue for in a different context.

The Minister is effectively saying, “We have all these technical experts; we’ve got an ad hoc panel; we are going to have another body involving industry and consumers; and we are going to have another ad hoc technological panel, once the legislation is passed”. It is obviously reassuring to some extent that the department is getting all this advice, but why not make it clear that we have a body of real expertise to oversee this gigantic exercise of changing the whole way in which we deliver our energy—a body that is to some extent institutionalised and recognised by Parliament? I think future Ministers will regret not having that body to support them. I hope I am wrong, but I think it would give Ministers sharpness of advice in the process and protection after it. I regret to say that I think the Minister’s successors may well regret her dismissal of this amendment today. With that, and with a happy summer to everybody and my thanks to the Minister and her department for all the help she has given us, I beg leave to withdraw what I think is the final amendment to be debated.

About this proceeding contribution

Reference

747 c684GC 

Session

2013-14

Chamber / Committee

House of Lords Grand Committee
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