14/03/2016 House of Commons


14/03/2016

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views on the monarch. It is a carefully drafted by the Honorable

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member for the process and not substance I hope the colleagues will

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frame their questions accordingly. Hear, hear! I seek not to embarrass

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you in anyway Mr Speaker and asked that the Leader of the House will

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make a statement on the endurance to the rules of the Privy Council in

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light of the suspension of collective responsibility in

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connection with the European Union referendum. Mr Speaker the Privy

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Council surprise support to Her Majesty and the implementation of

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the functions of the crown. The members of the Council also had

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access to confidential national information and documentation waited

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to do national security they swear an oath to maintain the

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confidentiality of these briefings. None of that has changed because of

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the current circumstances. Mr Speaker, last Wednesday the Sun

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newspaper published a front-page story relating to the EU referendum

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which it said was based on two impeccably placed sources. The

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Minister will know that every minister and minister of the City

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Council swears that solemn and binding oath to keep to the Queen

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that they will in the words of the oath, keep secrets all matters

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committed and revealed unto you. My Honorable friend has written to the

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Minister asking for an investigation, please can you

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confirm that that will take place? Please get he also confirmed that

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the Privy Council rules have not been suspended as a result of the

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referendum? Three members have categorically denied that they are

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the source of the justice, that they are the source LAUGHTER Get the

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Justice Secretary has only said that he does not know how the sun got its

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information Mr Speaker the sovereigns constitutional

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impartiality is a established principle of our democracy. It is on

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does a political office to ensure this remains the case. Such a breach

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would be significant. If the Justice Secretary would disclose this

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information he would breach the principle of confidentiality and

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evolve the monarch in a controversial manner. He will also

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have undermined the role as the Minister for responsible from

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holding the rule of law. Does the Minister therefore agree that the

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public has a right to know whether or not whether the does Justice

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Secretary was a source of this story. Please will he now urges

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colleagues to confirm or deny such allegations. There is a referral to

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investigate a complaint about the story but they cannot investigate

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whether a privy counsellor has broken his oath, only that Minister

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or Prime Minister can order that investigation. A cover-up will not

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do. Surely any member of the Privy Council who was a source of the

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story or whose special advisor or ally was standing contempt of his

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Privy Council of and should be removed from office and he won't

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honorably resigned himself. Hear, hear! Mr Speaker is the honourable

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gentleman said his remarks last to get national newspaper published a

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story ledge at the base of the conversation that took place at a

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lunch following a Privy Council meeting. However my predecessor the

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right honourable member from Sheffield Hallam said very clearly

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that the story was categorically untrue. As the house is aware

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Buckingham Palace has referred the matter to the press complaints body

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and it is now investigating the story. Given all this I do not

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believe that there is a need for further action here. Mr Speaker I

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would like to agree with my right honourable friend of the proper way

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to conduct this is as Her Majesty office has done. I don't see how

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this house can investigate every newspaper story that upset some

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people if neither the source of the newspaper chooses to reveal the

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source. Of course the reality is that the last president said the

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story is categorically untrue and this by definition must be something

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for the body that investigates the media. Mr Speaker I am surprised the

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Leader of the House does not want to carry out an inquiry and I will call

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him to do so after all they will able to carry out a successful

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inquiry in the Scotland offices. Will he reflect on the experiences

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for that and also there seems to be not just this but it is agreement

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and this is a question of fact between the Prime Minister and

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Minister of Justice. Thus you picked up by ministers handling the

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situation well? I do refer back to what I said a moment ago is that the

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previous Lord President who attended this event has said it is untrue. It

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is therefore a matter for the press complaints body and not anyone in

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this House or the government. Does my right honourable friend agree

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with me that what we are witnessing is a poorly disguised example of the

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tendency of the party opposite to play the man and not the boy. With

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the for the workings of the Privy Council are a matter for the Privy

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Council and other symbols that apply to ministers in this house? My

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Honorable friend is absolutely right and it is worth saying Mr Speaker,

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that the conversation that is alleged to taking place did not take

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place at a Privy Council meeting. Thank you Mr Speaker. With the

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leader of the House agree with me that when it comes to serial

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offenders one of the most effective forms of reparation for victims is

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restorative justice. Where the offender apologises directly to the

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victim. Does the later support the principles of restorative justice? I

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also support the principle better people who are innocent and not

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proven guilty. As the Lord high Chancellor is the keeper of the

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Queen's conscience is not inconceivable that he could misapply

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his conscience to Her Majesty and it is not further important and the

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Privy Council of privy counsellors swear that they will do the other

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most to bear faith and allegiance to the Queens Majesty and authority

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granted to Her Majesty by the crowd and otherwise. A grants all foreign

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princes persons and others. Howell, therefore could members of the Privy

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Council go off and be European commissioners swearing allegiance to

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the European Union? That is an interesting point. Someone say a

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fastening point but it is mildly tangential to the urgent question I

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have selected. Let's say rather apply. Mr Speaker think you would

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agree with me that his makes his remarks in his customary way.

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The former deputy prime ministers categorical denial that this

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conversation took place so could this matter be to bed very simply

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and straightforwardly if the Justice Secretary who was an honourable man,

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would come to the housing categorically denied that

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conversation ever took place himself? All I can repeat his

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blessed earlier, which is that my predecessor said the story was

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untrue. I don't think there is anything to answer for. The cabinet

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offices established a revenue from gas referendum and can he say what

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it does when it was established in how many civil servants are working

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there. The short answer is no, not now. The right honourable gentleman

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may be able to do so in the grocery private chat over the cup of tea or

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a written question but today the focus of the narrow terms of the

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question that has been granted. I thought it was an honour and a

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privilege to be a member of the Privy Council. I take very seriously

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and the trust that was placed in us. I think the allegations carry a

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great deal of currency and if they are not properly investigated they

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can undermine the whole of the Privy Council and on everybody in it. I

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think the Prime Minister was right to say that it would be very serious

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if a member of the Privy Council was the source of the sun's newspaper

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story. Just to ask the member involved to come to this house and

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to make a statement himself delay this matter to rest. I think all of

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us who are members of the Council take that responsibility and

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normalcy seriously and to us is a great honour to serve the crown in

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this way. As of the predecessor of me was a law professor and a man who

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takes responsibility very seriously has said it is untrue and therefore

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there is nothing to answer for. It is quite right that Her Majesty, our

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sovereign should have no views on important issues such as the EU

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referendum. How can it be in any way acceptable for members of Her

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Majesty's government for the Prime Minister downwards to encourage

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foreign heads of state to comments on the EU referendum. Is this not

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demonstrative that the fact that the international group is ganging up on

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the British people. I would discourage any foreign leader from

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entering the debate at the moment. This is a matter for the British

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people and it should remain so. What discussions, if any has the Minister

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had with the Prime Minister and the Justice Secretary about allegations

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that the Justice Secretary may have been the source of the leaked

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information said such allegations were made in the media? Says my

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predecessor has said that the story is categorically untrue is actually

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no need for me to have such conversations. I suppose one thing

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we've learned today is that you should not believe everything you

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read in newspapers. I'm learning more about the Council which I am

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not a member of the Privy Council, does sticking very nearly to the

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point, does the Privy Council rules extend to previous colonies which

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might now have a president with Mike might want to come over here and

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tell us how to vote in the EU referendum? Can I just say, I think

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we know of whom the honourable gentleman speaks. He is the most

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illustrious individual but not a member of the Privy Council. I think

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we will leave it there because I think it was a rhetorical question.

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The leader of the houses clinging to the defence that he has got today.

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It is very clear the Honorable member was able to believe that he

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was the source and in fact it is true. Does the Leader of the House

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therefore not think that given the honourable member for Mid Sussex

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visitors as would be a matter for treason. His rather flippant

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approach for this massively undermines the importance of this

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very important role. I'm not sure where he is coming from on this. You

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cannot be found guilty of an offence when offence is not taken place.

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That is the case for my predecessor had said that the story is

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categorically untrue and that should be in into the matter. -- Ann and to

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the matter. Someone else made a note of a recollection of their

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conversation with their Majesty and taken it away perhaps or a book or

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diaries as cortisol and at the end of their careers tend to want to do

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then perhaps the number of people privy to the information might not

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only be Privy Council? Of course lots of people talk to others about

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lots of things but in this particular case, the president said

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the story was untrue. That's conversation did not take place.

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I've never been to this palace. I don't know LAUGHTER I don't know

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what take place at the most bizarre thing for me, what on earth is the

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queen doing confiding in Kent? LAUGHTER LAUGHTER I think the

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response to the honourable gentleman's comments across the

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House suggests that not everyone disagrees with the views put

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forward. I hope before he ends his illustrious career he does have the

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chance to go to the house. As palace. Will the members of the

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Council ensure that the statistics that are usually published will be

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published between now and the 23rd of June? I think we want to make

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sure that everyone on both sides of this debate has all the facts they

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need before the vote in June. The Prime Minister has described the

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referendum vote as more important than a general election, then does

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the Minister agree that the public confidence in his votes rely on both

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sides behaving fairly? Administers on both sides of the argument making

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the case clearly and still staying friends afterwards. Am I right

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honourable friend sitting alongside me demonstrating that we are uniting

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in doing the right thing for this country. Without invoking the body

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of the sovereign and asked the government when they plan to

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introduce a British sovereignty bill? Will soon be having a

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visitation for the queen into this palace flicked her speech. We will

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see what her plans are for the years ahead. The honourable gentleman is

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unfailingly courteous, but his question was a bit wide of the mark.

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There are people who are still try to catch my eye. It would be good if

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everyone can remain in order, but perhaps by Mr Stephen Powell. This

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whole business music pretty nasties stands in the nostrils. It is

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emerging that people are picking up scraps of rumour and parlaying that

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into a book later on in their careers. As one who was Sunday

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morning fry up was ruined when I turned to my copy of the Mail on

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Sunday to read the memoirs of Mr laws were the honourable gentleman

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not agree with me that we should actually impose a self-denying

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ordinance and stop writing these dreadful scandalous books, seeking

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to expose what is confidential. May I say that I have no intention of

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doing so. Not sure that a self-denying ordinance can be

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imposed. LAUGHTER Those who have consulted their craniums advise me

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that that might not be possible and indeed it might. Either the

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contradiction or even the tautology. We will see how robust the

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honourable gentleman determination to stay out of the world of diary

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and book writing when he concludes his illustrious career when he

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receives a lavish offer from a publisher. An interrogation into

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recent select committee raised to other possible breaches of this kind

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involving Her Majesty and Prince William. It is noticed that this

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carefully crafted answer said he did not know where the Queen gets or --

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all her information. As we are not being told that the justice

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minister, can we take it that this is an attempt to do with those do

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and achieve destruction and revolution of the monarchy? I have

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to say if we are talking about revolution by destruction, they

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currently take the biscuits. I have you were not deemed my question to

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be tangential, clearly the government have a strong views on

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this matter. We are witnessing varied opinions on the government

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benches. And the interest of future reference I wonder if the Leader of

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the House might consider drawing up a list of approved contributors to

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the debates. They'll be very handy for future reference for the

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Scottish national party. We are having a debate where everybody's

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views are being put forward and I will be carried on for another three

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months. I'm racking my brain were an occasion with the leader of the

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House agreed to so readily with the other member, surely he must accept

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that is the failure of the Justice Secretary to be quickly states that

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he had nothing to do with this is the reason he sitting there

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answering his urgent question now. Shouldn't his right honourable

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friend either make such a statement or resign? So he is asking at the

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Justice Secretary says it didn't happen that didn't happen that just

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does not make sense. Millions of working people in this country know

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that when an allegation of gross this conduct comes to an employee

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public attention and is expected that in the investigation will

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follow. To do nothing creates a president that others may rely and

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in the future. Allegations are made. Does the leader of the House agreed

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that failure to even investigate shows a lack of courage and creates

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an unwelcome precedents. Normally investigations are not launched into

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unsubstantiated stories. I simply say again that my predecessor said

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the story is categorically untrue. I disappointed to hear that the

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response of the Leader of the House, because Buckingham Palace have

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deemed concerned by the story. There are two impeccable sources so why is

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the government also taking it seriously by holding an

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investigation? If I understand correctly Buckingham Palace has

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complained about the story in the newspaper, any or body to

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investigate that is the price investigators. Best price. -- press.

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And if so why isn't he not wanting his own investigation? Is understood

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correctly the serious issue is what the story in the newspaper which is

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being investigated, but we have said it is categorically untrue.

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Yesterday the telegraph reported that the sources is a stackable

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offence. Can he... Yes. Before we proceed further, misses and Maine.

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If you publish any contingency plans for a department in trade agreements

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in event of the UK exit from the EU. In December European Council they

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gave the United Kingdom and social status. ... Is that the UK will be

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stronger, and better and reform to you. That is not answer the question

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and I believe agreed that it was prominently that questions must be

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given a standard answer. Can I get an answer to that particular

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question? As the Honorable Lady knows the chair is not was also full

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for the content of answers. There is a general presumption in favour of

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answers to questions that are both timely and substantive. If however

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the honourable lady is dissatisfied with the substance of the reply

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which she believes fails adequately to respond or to respond at all to

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her requiring she has to recourse is open to her neither of which

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involves the chair. One is to table further questions with that dogged

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persistence for which the honourable member has become world sound of the

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last nearly 11 years in the house, and the other course of action open

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to her is to complain to the chair of the procedure committee, the

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honourable gentleman with a view into securing an inquiry of Bush by

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ministers to providing answers to biometric questions. I hope that

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constitutes an adequate answer to the honourable lady who has aired

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her concern for today. There are no further points of order we come now

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to the main business. In the first instance to the programme motion,

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the Minister to move, thank you. The question is the energy bill as on

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the order paper. Though the honourable gentleman wish to

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contribute? No, very good. ... I think the eyes have it. As I inform

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the House on Monday the 26th of October if over sport begins on the

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bill I will seek to identify those changes made a committee which I

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would expect to certify together with the government amendments

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tabled which if passed would be likely to lead me to issue a

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certificate. My provisional certificate based on those changes

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and expected amendments is available in the vote office and on the bills

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before Parliament was site. I'm required to consider the bill as

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amended on the report for certification. At that point but

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today I will issue my final certificate. But Clark will now

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proceed to read the orders of the day. As of amendments in the public

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bill considered. We begin with new clause two was put be convenient to

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consider government to 50 and the other amendments listed on the other

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amendments listed on reflection paper. To move new cause to I call

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Mr Callum McCaig. It is a straightforward one, it is to read

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evolve and empower the closer order for onshore wind back to the

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Scottish Government. Where had belonged. That's power was

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re-reserved so to speak on the explicit understanding that there

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would be no changes to the closure and no material impact to Scotland

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from agreeing to that proposal. The proposal had intended at the time to

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rely for proposer for later next year. As had previously been agreed.

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For the renewables obligation. There has been extensive debate about

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renewables obligation. I think it is worth reiterating just briefly some

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of those concerns. As I said, this was removed from Scotland against

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the explicit undertaking they the government have given to Scottish

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ministers, I think there is an element of trust and betrayal of

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trust that is coming to this agreement. That is something that

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has woven its way through the entirety of the government's in

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handling of onshore wind and the closure of renewables obligation.

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The industry had for a long time period of trust and the government.

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That trust had vanished. It is the opportunity from today public

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debates most notably from the numerous ones in my honourable

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friend, the Member for... Who has meticulously detailed the closure

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TRO and could be dealt with in the fairest manner. Last week the energy

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and climate change select committee produced a report on investor

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confidence. Seven and numerous policy announcements have marred the

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reputation. I think that is fairly damning. I'm not steeped in the ways

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of select committee reports and how they finance their arguments about

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that but that is a clear criticism of the government policy and how is

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been implemented. It did not need to be done that way. I think we have

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accepted through the process at the energy bill committees the various

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stages of this bill that the government does indeed have a

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commitment to pursue this policy. We disagree with that, and I think it

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is as short-sighted and is not the correct way of going about things.

:29:32.:29:35.

Onshore wind in the view of myself and my party has a significant role

:29:36.:29:45.

to play to play the United Kingdom. It should not be had taken out what

:29:46.:29:53.

is effectively a rather crude... The government has chosen to act in that

:29:54.:30:01.

way. To look at this, and to accept what is happening in the government

:30:02.:30:06.

is doing this it should do it in the best way possible. I feel there's

:30:07.:30:10.

something else happening I'm not aware about. Very disorderly

:30:11.:30:15.

conduct. The honourable gentleman is missing a serious case and if I may

:30:16.:30:20.

be meant to say this, whatever is the subject of this debate,

:30:21.:30:26.

fortunately at least for him, Otis is not.

:30:27.:30:33.

I don't do quite caught that Mr Speaker. Gentleman he doesn't need

:30:34.:30:42.

to do so. The honourable gentleman is innocent. He has been

:30:43.:30:46.

transgressed against. He is not transgress. He can now speed ahead

:30:47.:30:52.

to which we look forward. LAUGHTER. Speed being the operative word there

:30:53.:30:57.

Mr Speaker. So in terms of this. We have a call for the read evolution

:30:58.:31:00.

of this. We have a call for the grace period to be dealt with in the

:31:01.:31:05.

most appropriate manner. The conservative manifesto and the party

:31:06.:31:11.

debate has expressed a desire to see local control. I don't think anyone

:31:12.:31:17.

can have a huge argument about that. To do that it requires respecting of

:31:18.:31:23.

local decisions. As they stand, the grace periods to not do that.

:31:24.:31:27.

Without the amendments that I think are required in particularly

:31:28.:31:32.

amendment eight, we are planning decisions committee were dealt with

:31:33.:31:37.

prior to the closure date of the approval of the certificate was not

:31:38.:31:44.

granted, due to section 75. Essentially I think it's such a one

:31:45.:31:51.

of six in England. That is a clear sense. That is local

:31:52.:31:54.

decision-making. That should Mr Speaker have the consent of this

:31:55.:31:59.

government and be allowed to be included in the energy bill. We

:32:00.:32:04.

accept that this is going to happen and needs to happen. Now at this

:32:05.:32:08.

stage having been explicitly opposed to it, the industry sees it is

:32:09.:32:12.

better to have some certainty, rather than to continue with

:32:13.:32:18.

uncertainty. Uncertainty needs to be correct and fair. It needs to be

:32:19.:32:21.

certainty that does what is it intended to do. If we are to respect

:32:22.:32:25.

local decision-making, when locally elected bodies either in England and

:32:26.:32:34.

Scotland, all welds are under different stipulations, have agreed

:32:35.:32:41.

to this. The cause of the technical decision-making and on other such

:32:42.:32:44.

issues have not been able to get their certificate. That is simply

:32:45.:32:54.

wrong. Can he does remind the House why he wishes to burden his

:32:55.:32:58.

constituency and others with this issue, from an end to a noble souls

:32:59.:33:09.

cannot rely on. I think it has been clearly been demonstrated as one of

:33:10.:33:12.

the cheapest forms of renewable energy. I would ask him why he

:33:13.:33:20.

supports this insane waste of money? It is in considerably in excess. Mr

:33:21.:33:29.

Speaker Ayatollah perhaps resist the temptation to ask. This is

:33:30.:33:31.

straightforward. We need to press ahead with an certainty doesn't need

:33:32.:33:38.

to be given. That has been handled incredibly badly. There is time,

:33:39.:33:43.

particularly with the ECC report last week, for the government to

:33:44.:33:48.

make amends to change some of the stipulations round about the grace

:33:49.:33:52.

periods. They can allow this to happen in the best way possible.

:33:53.:33:57.

Late is better than never. Hear, hear! . The honourable gentleman is

:33:58.:34:10.

not giving way but has concluded his remarks. Therefore... The question

:34:11.:34:21.

is that the New Clause to be read a second time. No. I think it will

:34:22.:34:33.

take Mr Chris Harrison then come to the honourable gentleman. Thank you

:34:34.:34:36.

Mr Speaker and thank you for calling me early on in this debate. I sat on

:34:37.:34:42.

the energy bill committee, along with many of the Honorable members

:34:43.:34:50.

here today and just wanted to add a bit of balance to the Scottish

:34:51.:34:57.

national party contribution. I... We had this debate in the committee in

:34:58.:35:02.

the Scottish national party would like to see the document sent back

:35:03.:35:08.

to Scotland and many people would like to see the Scottish commit to

:35:09.:35:14.

paying for that renewable obligation as well. There is only half of that

:35:15.:35:20.

in this particular amendment. I'm happy to give way. I think of. He's

:35:21.:35:30.

absolutely right in that regard. Would he accept that we would be

:35:31.:35:34.

paying the extortionate price for his parties nuclear power, if he

:35:35.:35:41.

gets his ways? If we are talking about paying for these, I wonder how

:35:42.:35:46.

the S would have paid for their proposals, had they gone independent

:35:47.:35:53.

on a crisis... Let's just make sure that we talk about energy in a

:35:54.:35:57.

sensible way. Actually we did have a very constructive and sensible

:35:58.:36:01.

debate, in the committee stages. It is good fun to follow up

:36:02.:36:08.

occasionally on different points. Mr Speaker I also, and unfortunately

:36:09.:36:11.

you did not choose any of the amendments that I put my name to

:36:12.:36:16.

today. I was not being cheeky in tabling them. I just wanted to make

:36:17.:36:24.

a point. With in this bill, we have the friend removal from the

:36:25.:36:32.

Conservative Party about removing the renewable obligations earlier,

:36:33.:36:40.

and also some planning changes. We were having a debate committee about

:36:41.:36:51.

how and if let's say members of the House of Lords decided that they did

:36:52.:36:55.

not like what we were doing to the bill down here, by putting back in

:36:56.:36:59.

what wasn't clear manifesto commitment from the Conservative

:37:00.:37:02.

Party, how actually that would be quite a foolish thing to do. There

:37:03.:37:08.

are other methods by which that are within the planning rules that we

:37:09.:37:13.

could go by. I think would be fair to talk about amplitude modulation

:37:14.:37:18.

as a planning requirement. There is a huge amount of concern about the

:37:19.:37:24.

noise from wind turbines. I thought I would identify a couple of those

:37:25.:37:29.

concerns today in a bit more detail, so members could understand where I

:37:30.:37:35.

was coming from. Now I'm happy to give way. I would just say to My

:37:36.:37:40.

Noble friend who has a great deal of knowledge and expertise in these

:37:41.:37:44.

issues, that it was a very unfortunate precedents set by the

:37:45.:37:51.

other that they should disregard the convention. They should consider it

:37:52.:37:55.

appropriate that they decide that the British public were wrong in

:37:56.:37:59.

reelecting the government on an manifesto commitment, to undertake

:38:00.:38:05.

the proposals that my Honorable friend has brought. I thank my

:38:06.:38:08.

Honorable friend for the intervention. Actually at the other

:38:09.:38:12.

end of this building, that there has been some sensible debate around

:38:13.:38:17.

this. There are a number from Labour and other peers that do understand

:38:18.:38:22.

his point. However it would be foolish for a Coalition partner to

:38:23.:38:29.

have very few MPs in this place, but you have a way to many peers in

:38:30.:38:34.

another place, to use that bulk of unelected opinion to force down a

:38:35.:38:39.

government manifesto commitment will stop there are many ways to get

:38:40.:38:42.

around this particular problem. I want to identify a plan where we can

:38:43.:38:49.

solve possibly, definitely a good thing to do for communities

:38:50.:38:56.

affected, but actually maybe not the peers at the other end of this

:38:57.:39:01.

building would like to go down. Maybe they should think very

:39:02.:39:07.

sensibly about how they use is still going for, just in case. Mr Speaker

:39:08.:39:16.

a couple years ago, I get a freedom information requested every planning

:39:17.:39:19.

authority across England. I wanted to see if any of them had actually

:39:20.:39:25.

experienced or had knowledge of a concern of an element within noise

:39:26.:39:30.

and wind called amplitude modulation. It's expired of low

:39:31.:39:39.

whooshing sound. I asked every EH bowl across the country whether they

:39:40.:39:44.

had an experience with this. A large number came back, especially from

:39:45.:39:48.

rural areas, where there's lots of wind from turbines. They said they

:39:49.:39:52.

had guessed some experience with it. The current government guidelines on

:39:53.:39:58.

this matter did not cover amplitude modulation. There was actually

:39:59.:40:03.

nothing they could do. They did not have much information from the

:40:04.:40:07.

government. In fact the wind industry and the department itself

:40:08.:40:11.

did not recognise the amplitude modulation existed until only a

:40:12.:40:17.

couple years ago. That was quite resolved considering that this was

:40:18.:40:20.

well recognised across the world at that point in time. Unfortunately or

:40:21.:40:25.

fortunately as I presented my findings to that department. They

:40:26.:40:32.

came up with the idea that amplitude modulation noise reduced by turbines

:40:33.:40:39.

can be a concern for residents. The Sultan should be bought in to review

:40:40.:40:42.

the amplitude modulation and decide how excessive this might be

:40:43.:40:47.

controlled through a planning condition. The study that I held

:40:48.:40:54.

commission, which was a study into what causes amplitude modulation and

:40:55.:41:01.

how it can be tempered, the eye in WG study will be considered

:41:02.:41:03.

alongside other evidence that has been gathered as part of this

:41:04.:41:08.

review. The evidence that I presented was actually that there

:41:09.:41:11.

are lots of communities up and down this country and lots of

:41:12.:41:15.

individuals, living in houses close to turbines that are directly

:41:16.:41:20.

affected by excessive amplitude modulation. In fact this is a very

:41:21.:41:24.

significant factor in peoples lives. Noise complaints from wind farms

:41:25.:41:33.

around the whooshing noise... It means that some people in many cases

:41:34.:41:37.

cannot sleep in their own house. Some people find this a great deal

:41:38.:41:44.

of stress. The want or wish or BD noise. You can experience it when

:41:45.:41:49.

you're standing close to helicopters and other turbines blades turning.

:41:50.:41:57.

It's the most intrusive element of noise around when Todd Burns. The

:41:58.:42:05.

Scots are at the forefront of everything to do with noise. But I

:42:06.:42:10.

will leave it as onshore wind turbine knowledge and found that

:42:11.:42:17.

between one to do: as from a Win form, 70% of people, suffering

:42:18.:42:23.

audible noise, strongly dislike the noise and that a vast number of

:42:24.:42:30.

those were actually suffering from the effects of excessive amplitude

:42:31.:42:34.

modulation. This noise is actually not covered by the noise guidelines

:42:35.:42:42.

that we currently have. I'm happy to give way. Would you agree with me

:42:43.:42:49.

that in my experience, this issue that he rightly raises, is

:42:50.:42:54.

compounded by the complementary problem of shadow flickering, which

:42:55.:42:58.

is causing distraction for many people within the environments of

:42:59.:43:02.

onshore wind infrastructure and also of course the movement of very large

:43:03.:43:09.

plant machinery on roads. This can also have an impact on the quality

:43:10.:43:12.

of life of the people adjacent to these facilities. . To very valid

:43:13.:43:22.

points. I have myself seen the Flickr and only stood there for a

:43:23.:43:25.

period of ten minutes. I can actually understand if that was

:43:26.:43:29.

Ashley affecting your house or your place of work, how interesting that

:43:30.:43:37.

could be. I'm sure many of my envelope members would have the

:43:38.:43:40.

means turbines when they are moving through small villages. You can

:43:41.:43:46.

sometimes not get the turbines through on small roads. A number of

:43:47.:43:51.

people visited me today, this morning, from the lovely village of

:43:52.:43:56.

Goldsboro, where a nearby wind turbine and inform would present a

:43:57.:44:02.

gap of inches between houses on each side of the road, and the turbine

:44:03.:44:05.

shaft being driven through this particular village is an issue. Yes

:44:06.:44:11.

they do cause concern. But there are more than the travel movement is a

:44:12.:44:17.

concern. I would argue that amplitude modulation is a bigger

:44:18.:44:20.

issue than Flickr. I'll happily give way. Will he share my concerns that

:44:21.:44:30.

conscious patient of policy on strategic zones and where all the

:44:31.:44:38.

developments are put into those zones and there are different

:44:39.:44:41.

projects and there's a difference between force and wind noise levels

:44:42.:44:49.

but that as far as the planning regime is concerned, when a small

:44:50.:44:55.

development, the issues of noise comes up? That is a very wise point.

:44:56.:45:06.

Just a very briefly TV Honorable gentleman, you can monitor this

:45:07.:45:10.

particular noise. You can also predict when it might occur.

:45:11.:45:14.

Therefore you can as has been done, and a couple of places in England,

:45:15.:45:19.

when you get those circumstances happening where I modulation is

:45:20.:45:25.

causing distress to nearby residents and is being monitored with the

:45:26.:45:30.

agreement with the developer of the wind form, you can stop the turbines

:45:31.:45:33.

from turning for that period of time. It does not mean the noise

:45:34.:45:40.

stops and everyone goes about their business happily. I know that some

:45:41.:45:44.

of the proposals that are then in wells have been absolutely massive.

:45:45.:45:48.

I have been working with the Honorable member very hard with him

:45:49.:45:56.

on this and some absolutely amazingly large proposals in his

:45:57.:45:58.

constituency. I know this is a real concern for many people across

:45:59.:46:05.

Wales. As I was saying the current guidelines don't actually monitoring

:46:06.:46:09.

-- monitor amplitude modulation at all. In fact this noise falls

:46:10.:46:16.

outside of monitoring. There is only one wind form that I know of, at

:46:17.:46:22.

where the planning decision the united kingdom, were planning

:46:23.:46:25.

conditions have been proposed for amplitude modulation noise. That was

:46:26.:46:32.

an development in den endeavour. In my concern is has been actually a

:46:33.:46:36.

very long time or decades where everyone has known about this

:46:37.:46:38.

particular issue, but no one has really spoken about it. We get the

:46:39.:46:44.

green light to this particular industry, and I spoke in this place

:46:45.:46:48.

previously about how some of the developers have not been

:46:49.:46:54.

particularly client to villages and constituents of mind when coming

:46:55.:46:56.

forward with development. They knew everything was stacked on their

:46:57.:47:00.

side. My argument as I made to the right Honorable Lady previously, was

:47:01.:47:04.

that the developers could have done a lot better in the past and maybe

:47:05.:47:07.

there would not be this problem that we currently have. Had there been a

:47:08.:47:13.

recognition that local peoples views on these matters should actually

:47:14.:47:20.

carry a great deal of weight. But for decades that did not happen. The

:47:21.:47:24.

wind industry is consistently denied the existence of excessive amplitude

:47:25.:47:31.

modulation. Even though I can point you to experts who will demonstrate

:47:32.:47:39.

to you, this is, amplitude modulation is a frequent occurrence

:47:40.:47:43.

potentially affecting all industrial large wind turbines, often for large

:47:44.:47:46.

periods of time and more frequently than not in the night-time. I can

:47:47.:47:54.

point actually to the survey of environmental health officers and

:47:55.:47:55.

planning authorities that I did myself. Who all or a large number of

:47:56.:48:03.

whom pointed to the fact that they need this thing or something of that

:48:04.:48:11.

ilk was happening but they had no powers to deal with it or nor did

:48:12.:48:14.

they actually have the correct guidance from government to point

:48:15.:48:20.

them into the right direction. While there are people who do complain

:48:21.:48:25.

about amplitude modulation to members of parliament and local

:48:26.:48:29.

planning authorities, actually I think there is a hidden file

:48:30.:48:32.

majority out there. There are people who are willing to suffer in the in

:48:33.:48:40.

silence of this noise because if they do get involved they fear if

:48:41.:48:50.

they had to disclose this when they sold the House it would be an issue.

:48:51.:49:01.

I think actually the existing legal remedies for... There are remedies

:49:02.:49:06.

for residents affected by turbulent noise. It is not fit for the purpose

:49:07.:49:11.

and certainly not fit for measuring amplitude modulation. Evidence

:49:12.:49:19.

however suggest that an abatement notice has not been effective

:49:20.:49:23.

control to protecting nearby residents from excessive amplitude

:49:24.:49:30.

modulation. Others such as private nuisance and similar legal actions

:49:31.:49:33.

have been considered the place to much risk and burden on residents

:49:34.:49:39.

for a problem not of their making, with likely long-term adverse

:49:40.:49:42.

financial implications. In addition there has been a recent trend of

:49:43.:49:47.

secondary operators forming individual shell companies for each

:49:48.:49:51.

wind form. The impact of this was highlighted in July 2015, when my

:49:52.:49:58.

right honourable friend house and introduce the bill into Parliament.

:49:59.:50:03.

With the purpose of acquiring were informed of elements to require

:50:04.:50:08.

public liability insurance for any noise. This was for any noise

:50:09.:50:17.

nuisance. One of his constituents had a problem with the local wind

:50:18.:50:20.

farm but found it impossible to sue. It was clearly a shell company with

:50:21.:50:26.

very limited assets. More concerning about amplitude modulation, is this

:50:27.:50:32.

affects on health. I have read studies that demonstrate quite

:50:33.:50:36.

adequately that wind turbine noise adversely affects sleep and health.

:50:37.:50:41.

This is clear from the evidence examined by a world-renowned expert,

:50:42.:50:46.

who are asked to help me on this, Chris Harrington. He worked with a

:50:47.:50:53.

group that I put together. Wind turbine noise affects sleep and

:50:54.:50:56.

health adversely. Noise levels committed by the current noise

:50:57.:51:06.

regulation... There is no evidence that wind turbine noise is safe. In

:51:07.:51:11.

contrast there are increasing volumes of evidence that outlined

:51:12.:51:15.

the country. There is a list particular concern to the health of

:51:16.:51:19.

children exposed to wind turbine noise. The inadequate consideration

:51:20.:51:24.

of the amplitude modulation isn't large factor in why I believed it to

:51:25.:51:30.

fails to detect the majority of people who live near wind turbines

:51:31.:51:34.

and need this to be reformed. The denial of the wind industry is

:51:35.:51:38.

reminiscent of other health issues in the past. I do believe this could

:51:39.:51:43.

be a very big public health issue going forward. As I can tan. The

:51:44.:51:48.

current noise standard is not fit for purpose. I have plenty of

:51:49.:51:55.

evidence to suggest that it's about -- methodology is completely

:51:56.:52:03.

incorrect. I don't really have to go into the evidence because I have

:52:04.:52:06.

been fortunate enough to be supported by the findings of a

:52:07.:52:09.

recent assembly report in January 20 15. This report recommended a review

:52:10.:52:19.

of the use of the exit 97 guidelines and with a view of adopted and more

:52:20.:52:25.

robust guidelines, with particular reference to current guidelines from

:52:26.:52:30.

the World Health Organization. So I contend that we need an effective

:52:31.:52:35.

planning conditions, for amplitude modulation. The wind industry claims

:52:36.:52:41.

that the amplitude modulation planning is not necessary and that

:52:42.:52:47.

the nuisance provides adequate protection. This is discredited by

:52:48.:52:52.

the evidence that I have seen and published on my website. Without a

:52:53.:52:55.

planning condition, there is no effective remedy to wind farm

:52:56.:52:59.

labourers, who suffer from excessive noise. The relevance of amplitude

:53:00.:53:06.

modulation causing noise complaints has driven the wind industry to

:53:07.:53:11.

ensure that a planning condition of this type is not applied a standard

:53:12.:53:15.

planning practice. This is why I wanted to raise it today. We are

:53:16.:53:22.

having this conversation about renewables obligation certificates

:53:23.:53:25.

and the planning guidance that goes alongside as part of a manifesto

:53:26.:53:35.

commitment. I'm happy to give away. Does he agree with me that the

:53:36.:53:39.

decision as to whether the product -- project go-ahead should sit with

:53:40.:53:43.

the local people and that when the local people have agreed on this? I

:53:44.:53:49.

thank the Honorable gentleman for his point. I have a long contended

:53:50.:53:54.

and said in every speech that I have given the wind in this place, that

:53:55.:54:00.

actually is local people want to have a web form, who is the local MP

:54:01.:54:05.

or any politician to get in their way? I wanted to be subsidy free. I

:54:06.:54:09.

want them to benefit from it. But they believe is a benefit to the

:54:10.:54:15.

local community, that I have no issue with that. I do think people

:54:16.:54:22.

should be aware of the potential health concerns around noise and

:54:23.:54:27.

amplitude modulation. I do think we have the opportunity here to ensure

:54:28.:54:30.

that any of those concerns can be mitigated. The local community in

:54:31.:54:37.

the future steps forward and says yes we desperately would love to

:54:38.:54:43.

have 100 wind turbines surround our village, devalue our houses, and

:54:44.:54:48.

hide us from our rural hinterland, they can do so knowing that if

:54:49.:54:57.

amplitude modulation was to happen, then actually they would be able to

:54:58.:55:03.

have turbines that are producing the amplitude modulation were turned

:55:04.:55:07.

off, so at least they could sleep. I wondered if he is aware of Professor

:55:08.:55:13.

Peter Stiles, who published a study on vibrations from wind turbines in

:55:14.:55:20.

Scotland? He says when the wind form starts to generate even a low wind

:55:21.:55:27.

speed sounds can be detected at stations out about ten km. Now some

:55:28.:55:33.

developers are proposing to install bigger turbines. So the older

:55:34.:55:38.

studies show that these were safe for the purposes of noise, are now

:55:39.:55:46.

out of date. And that now turbines are up to 100 metres high and

:55:47.:55:52.

causing more problems? I am very aware that study and I obviously

:55:53.:55:55.

agree with what the gentleman found. The interesting thing here is that

:55:56.:56:00.

as those turbines get longer -- a larger, it generates a slightly

:56:01.:56:06.

larger area and some of the turbines that we are now considering putting

:56:07.:56:12.

out, we have gone past the 18 metre stage, in my constituency, you will

:56:13.:56:17.

find dozens and dozens of wind turbines over 126 metres high. That

:56:18.:56:22.

is about the size of the one London eye. If you consider the blades

:56:23.:56:25.

moving around that, the way they top the wind, it does create this thing

:56:26.:56:30.

called amplitude modulation. My answer is yes. More and more people

:56:31.:56:37.

now have an understanding that this is happening. We just need a

:56:38.:56:40.

planning condition that is suitable and sensible to ensure that local

:56:41.:56:45.

communities that are affected by this problem have a way of stopping

:56:46.:56:49.

it from happening to them. This is why I wanted to talk about the

:56:50.:56:56.

application of amplitude modulation planning conditions such as the one

:56:57.:57:02.

in Denver and Devon. This came forward and 2009. It was fought

:57:03.:57:05.

tooth and nail by the wind industry at that point in time. To them it

:57:06.:57:11.

represented a serious risk to them because I planning condition of this

:57:12.:57:17.

type added cost and actually made it slightly more difficult to get

:57:18.:57:22.

turbines through planning and the first place. If there is a potential

:57:23.:57:26.

hit a health risk to a big industrial turbine being placed in

:57:27.:57:30.

the area, you might well Could he tell us with the fixes for

:57:31.:57:38.

this and if there is a way for suppressing the noise that is

:57:39.:57:43.

realistic? The best way of suppressing the noise is to turn the

:57:44.:57:47.

turbine off for a period of time that it is working. When the noise

:57:48.:57:55.

is likely to occur. As the accusations were demonstrated to me

:57:56.:57:58.

this noise is more likely to occur at night, because other background

:57:59.:58:04.

noises have dropped down. You can predict it because you know which

:58:05.:58:07.

way the wind is blowing and what speed. It drops down to the ground

:58:08.:58:14.

level and a certain way so you know exactly which houses and the zone

:58:15.:58:20.

area that is going to affect. With sensible meteorological readings and

:58:21.:58:25.

monitoring equipment which is now cheaper to purchase you can do a lot

:58:26.:58:36.

better. Not me personally thank you, but so many residents of my

:58:37.:58:39.

constituency. Everything you said is right. I find it staggering that

:58:40.:58:46.

given the world of figuring -- physics it is amazing that

:58:47.:58:49.

modulation is a surprise to us when it comes to wind farms. As a natural

:58:50.:58:55.

occurrence of wave technology. We have a knowledge base of my

:58:56.:58:59.

constituency damage to a wind farm which is outside my constituency.

:59:00.:59:04.

The residents there have been blighted with a wind farm for years.

:59:05.:59:08.

They cannot sell their houses or open their windows. That data is

:59:09.:59:16.

there in the government would be to use that data. I have to agree with

:59:17.:59:24.

the honourable lady. I have been to the farm to see the wind farm

:59:25.:59:27.

myself. I met with some of the residence. I think she has the

:59:28.:59:36.

illustrious Bev Grey who has provided me with more information

:59:37.:59:39.

than any man could possibly want behind the readings of amplitude

:59:40.:59:44.

modulation and the noise that his community suffers from on a regular

:59:45.:59:51.

basis. It is not rocket science. When you do get amplitude modulation

:59:52.:59:57.

people do suffer. There are genuine health concerns around this. For too

:59:58.:00:00.

long have been swept under the carpet. I then said with the Denver

:00:01.:00:10.

condition there is a chance visit the planning commission and try to

:00:11.:00:18.

deal with it could come forward. Instead of welcoming it as a method

:00:19.:00:23.

of defeating some of the wind farm opponents across the country who say

:00:24.:00:27.

that you do not deal with the problem of wind, we understand there

:00:28.:00:33.

is a problem with window and we will mitigate it when it happened. The

:00:34.:00:37.

wind industry went into complete denial upfront aggressiveness

:00:38.:00:42.

fighting this particular planning commission through the courts. Over

:00:43.:00:47.

an eight-year period they took to ensure firstly the planning

:00:48.:00:53.

condition was not applied, and then having it removed. And finally to

:00:54.:00:59.

make sure that if it ever came back it was sufficiently weakened and it

:01:00.:01:02.

was pointless if it was to ever return. I obviously would like to

:01:03.:01:11.

just suggest that when we look forward on the manifesto commitments

:01:12.:01:15.

of the Conservative Party of the last election, when we talk about

:01:16.:01:20.

doing what we are doing with the renewable obligation change. As of

:01:21.:01:27.

the end of this month. We have also brought forth the appropriate

:01:28.:01:34.

planning conditions to make sure this particular problem of amplitude

:01:35.:01:40.

modulation as well addressed and making wind developers and wind

:01:41.:01:45.

farms and more acceptable in the parts of the country. I wonder if he

:01:46.:01:53.

can answer this question now. Is it predictable? When you have a certain

:01:54.:02:01.

design is impossible to say for that design there will be this much

:02:02.:02:03.

modulation or is it just something that happens depending on other

:02:04.:02:07.

factors which is quite hard to plan for? As predictable as much as the

:02:08.:02:12.

wind is predictable. You know which direction it is coming from and how

:02:13.:02:16.

fast it is going to be. You can predict a zone which will be

:02:17.:02:23.

affected. On any given basis on any given day. My point to my honourable

:02:24.:02:31.

friend is firstly not to give up on the changes to the renewable

:02:32.:02:36.

obligation. This is a manifesto commitment. I have personally some

:02:37.:02:47.

concerns with the report that she commissioned by her department and

:02:48.:02:51.

would like to see judged against the evidence that I have taken to her

:02:52.:02:57.

going forward. Just to make the point that had the wind industry did

:02:58.:03:02.

behaved any more pragmatic and sensible way going back a few years

:03:03.:03:06.

we probably would not have been this position in first place. I know

:03:07.:03:12.

there are, and I am saying this, and I am known for my views on this

:03:13.:03:17.

subject, I know there are sensible developers out there of wind

:03:18.:03:19.

technology who try to do their best for the local communities that they

:03:20.:03:25.

install these turbines in. Unfortunately, I don't have an

:03:26.:03:29.

example of that in my constituency. I think that the wind industry has

:03:30.:03:34.

broken up this issue. I rise to move amendments 24 233 and

:03:35.:04:01.

4246. On the order paper for the amendments for this report stage. So

:04:02.:04:13.

moving I want to emphasise those amendments stand individually they

:04:14.:04:16.

are in fact a collective whole and today refer to successive parts of

:04:17.:04:26.

both the amendments to the bill as it came from another place that the

:04:27.:04:31.

government placed into the bill at committee stage to cut short the

:04:32.:04:39.

closing date of the renewable obligation from its original date of

:04:40.:04:48.

the 31st of March 2017 to 31st of March 2016. The effect of the

:04:49.:04:55.

amendments that we have placed today is to move those dates and the dates

:04:56.:05:03.

which are set out in the various grace period provisions that have

:05:04.:05:10.

been placed into the bill by the government to around a date of the

:05:11.:05:19.

1st of March 2000 17. That is the amendments they do bring propose

:05:20.:05:25.

closer of the Aru forward from the 1st of March 2017, the first -- 31st

:05:26.:05:34.

of March. As the present proposal before us. I want to add as well

:05:35.:05:42.

that's I do have some freezers in terms of the present closer dates

:05:43.:05:48.

that is in front of this as far as his bill is concerned. For its

:05:49.:05:59.

robustness in the face of the passage of this bill itself. We are

:06:00.:06:06.

today discussing report stage as Honorable members can see. A closure

:06:07.:06:12.

date, very close to the day that we are discussing the closure date. The

:06:13.:06:23.

passage of the rest of this bill having come from another place in

:06:24.:06:28.

the first instance is one that will have to finish. In another place,

:06:29.:06:37.

shortly. Certainly having a closure date before us today that is just a

:06:38.:06:48.

fortnight or so away from today does, in my view, create

:06:49.:06:51.

considerable difficulties for the closure of the Aru itself under the

:06:52.:07:03.

present circumstances. I think may well be understood it is not the

:07:04.:07:06.

case that we are discussing something today that does not exist

:07:07.:07:09.

and can be brought into existence by legislation. We are discussing

:07:10.:07:15.

something that not only exists today and if we do nothing as far as

:07:16.:07:20.

legislation is concerned, will continue to carry on until the 31st

:07:21.:07:29.

of March 2017. We discussing something which is on the face of

:07:30.:07:32.

legislation in this house already that is a specific mention of

:07:33.:07:39.

legislation in this house that the renewable obligation comes to an end

:07:40.:07:45.

on the 31st of March 2000 17. That means if nothing actually happens to

:07:46.:07:49.

stop that from carrying on that it will carry on until a particular

:07:50.:07:56.

date. And tends any sense as far as legislation here is concerned. We

:07:57.:08:04.

have one go and changing the date. Indeed if this bill is still on its

:08:05.:08:12.

passage through the houses apartments, after the closure date

:08:13.:08:16.

has come into being we will in fact be in a position of retrospective

:08:17.:08:26.

legislation. We know the case that from the moment everyone knew the

:08:27.:08:32.

general election it was going to be done as expeditiously as possible,

:08:33.:08:35.

surely ever want to plan perfectly well around that obvious point? The

:08:36.:08:42.

right Honorable member has perhaps jumped the gun in the point he

:08:43.:08:47.

wanted to make. About the effect of this particular closure. That is a

:08:48.:08:51.

different point from the point I am actually making about this closure.

:08:52.:08:58.

Which is that we stand in danger and the imposition of not investor

:08:59.:09:05.

conference finance or certainty but what we do in terms of exposing this

:09:06.:09:12.

house to the potential of legal action relating to the fact that

:09:13.:09:18.

although a renewable obligation will be closed administratively by this

:09:19.:09:23.

government it will not have been legislatively. If there are

:09:24.:09:33.

continuing discussions before the bill comes to a close and receives

:09:34.:09:39.

Royal assent in those discussions continue on before the 31st of March

:09:40.:09:48.

2016. I hear what the honourable gentleman is saying but isn't there

:09:49.:09:51.

an issue of fairness and social equity here in that he is making a

:09:52.:09:56.

special plea on behalf of the renewable companies for what is

:09:57.:09:59.

effectively a defect of fiscal payments for some of the poorest

:10:00.:10:03.

consumers in fuel poverty to those individuals in those companies.

:10:04.:10:07.

Isn't that the bigger issue not least also the fact we have

:10:08.:10:12.

intellectual mandates to carry through this policy which he is well

:10:13.:10:17.

aware of. I will come to the question of whether the Honorable

:10:18.:10:22.

members party as an electoral mandates carry through this policy

:10:23.:10:25.

in a moment. Again this is not the point that I am making right now. As

:10:26.:10:33.

a point that we stands in danger. Of indeed legal action available. To

:10:34.:10:42.

those who do not want this obligation to be close. And indeed

:10:43.:10:46.

perhaps the honourable member might reflect on the fact that the mandate

:10:47.:10:52.

perhaps if there is a mandate to get on and do it. And to do it properly.

:10:53.:10:59.

And it's not incompetently. In such a way that legal action is selling

:11:00.:11:05.

that one can be exposed to. The point of the fact that the renewable

:11:06.:11:10.

obligation is here has been here for quite a long time and as the

:11:11.:11:17.

legislation at the moment states will continue until the 31st of

:11:18.:11:21.

March 2017 unless someone does something from happening. If no one

:11:22.:11:27.

has done anything from stopping it happening by the 31st of March 2016

:11:28.:11:32.

then claims can still be put forward. For the renewable

:11:33.:11:38.

obligation after that day. It says on the face of legislation that

:11:39.:11:43.

renewable obligation continues. In practice I would not think that many

:11:44.:11:52.

people would venture forward to seek certification for renewable

:11:53.:11:56.

obligation after the 31st of March after 2016 Crystal discussing it in

:11:57.:12:00.

this house. That possibility is open however. It is something that I

:12:01.:12:09.

think reflects to some extent. Editing a new doctrine that the

:12:10.:12:12.

government should never try and change the law because the

:12:13.:12:16.

opposition might try and delay it. I think the Honorable member misses

:12:17.:12:22.

the point I am making. It is not trying to delay the law, but it is

:12:23.:12:27.

the fact that in terms of the rush to close this renewable obligation

:12:28.:12:31.

not by the Government or the opposition, the subsequence, nature

:12:32.:12:42.

of this and the way it has been scheduled. And the way that is

:12:43.:12:47.

physically possible that further stages may be scheduled and the net

:12:48.:12:51.

result of that is that the government and not the opposition

:12:52.:12:56.

they put it in a position that retrospective legislation is

:12:57.:13:01.

apparently the case and at the possibility of legal action is

:13:02.:13:08.

apparently the case. It is important that we remember that today. One of

:13:09.:13:13.

the reasons why I am suggesting that the closure of the renewable

:13:14.:13:22.

obligation ought to be early is because that is among things that

:13:23.:13:26.

actually avoids that potential legal action taking place. In reality what

:13:27.:13:37.

we know is that the proposed closure of the renewable obligation, in the

:13:38.:13:48.

early is not about carrying out a particular manifesto pledge if these

:13:49.:13:56.

are the renewable obligations not a new subsidy. That is what the was in

:13:57.:14:01.

the conservative manifesto and indeed we have had discussions about

:14:02.:14:09.

this issue. The proposals that are before us are about putting an end

:14:10.:14:17.

to something that has been in place for a considerable period of time,

:14:18.:14:24.

has worked well, was about to change in good time to a new system which

:14:25.:14:28.

does allow for underwriting in the path down to the ending of effective

:14:29.:14:36.

dissolving subsidies and underwriting technology to achieve

:14:37.:14:43.

market parity. And something which industry investors were clear about

:14:44.:14:47.

and were confident about. They were confident not just the fact that the

:14:48.:14:51.

renewable obligation had worked for a while, but there was a clear

:14:52.:14:56.

process that renewable obligation would come to an end, and there was

:14:57.:15:01.

a clear process where the contracts were different and new system which

:15:02.:15:05.

was discussed at length in the energy bill in 2013. There was a

:15:06.:15:13.

clear line of progression from one to the other and orderly roll-outs

:15:14.:15:23.

of renewable energy getting progressive and more cheaper over a

:15:24.:15:33.

period. In formulating his amendments has yet time to get to

:15:34.:15:40.

the climate change select committee. Of course that governments current

:15:41.:15:44.

party would lead to build increasing. The Honorable member is

:15:45.:15:50.

absolutely right to draw attention to that report and indeed to the

:15:51.:15:56.

issue that has arisen not just on these particular changes but from

:15:57.:16:01.

other abrupt and policy that the government has undertaken in the

:16:02.:16:06.

field of renewable energy. The net result overall has been a dramatic

:16:07.:16:14.

drop in investor confidence and a dramatic fall from advanced

:16:15.:16:19.

positions as far as being a country in which it was regarded as a safe

:16:20.:16:26.

place and a good place to invest in as far as renewable energy is

:16:27.:16:30.

concerned. And indeed, as a result of the policy lurches I feel with

:16:31.:16:36.

many investors the world is not one of confusion with the possibility

:16:37.:16:40.

that they perhaps do not recommend the investments go ahead in the

:16:41.:16:45.

boardrooms as far as this country is concerned and perhaps in light the

:16:46.:16:48.

competitiveness of other countries as far as renewables is concerned

:16:49.:16:52.

that they put those renewables elsewhere. This policy lurches has

:16:53.:17:02.

thrown very many programmes in two confusion. It has thrown a lot of

:17:03.:17:10.

potential investment in this country not just in the form of onshore wind

:17:11.:17:16.

but the form of her new boss. These things tend to create spread across

:17:17.:17:21.

the confidence in other areas of investment. When had well just been

:17:22.:17:29.

left alone it would have been possible to visage of a secure

:17:30.:17:36.

circumstance with a clear understanding of what investors were

:17:37.:17:41.

doing and a clear understanding of what those investments would change

:17:42.:17:47.

over time. This is not about putting an end to new subsidies, it is a

:17:48.:17:56.

question of taking a well understood long-lived subsidy and actually

:17:57.:18:02.

removing it before the period when investors, the market, and everyone

:18:03.:18:09.

else had expected it to be come to an end and be replaced by another

:18:10.:18:15.

system. Indeed as late as the spring of this year after I imagine a

:18:16.:18:19.

conservative manifesto being written, the Secretary of State made

:18:20.:18:29.

it clear that the RO was to close in 2017 and it would be undertaken and

:18:30.:18:32.

it therefore came as more of a surprise to investors in the market

:18:33.:18:37.

that this change would been undertaken. Previously the

:18:38.:18:40.

government had been so confident that the procedure had the under it

:18:41.:18:50.

was originally set out. Under this removal of the renewable obligation

:18:51.:18:56.

closure early date. Is that it is all OK because we are reaching

:18:57.:19:01.

targets of onshore wind. Indeed in terms of our renewable targets our

:19:02.:19:10.

2020 targets for the proportion of renewable energy that will make up

:19:11.:19:17.

our overall energy mix, 50% is our commitment as far as European

:19:18.:19:22.

targets of 2020 is concerned. -- 15%. It was represented by wind,

:19:23.:19:32.

particularly onshore winds, is reaching its targets and therefore

:19:33.:19:38.

it is OK to actually and the RO early in place the market in two

:19:39.:19:47.

confusion and has been placed into. We have to bear in mind when we are

:19:48.:19:53.

looking at that particular target we are looking at other components. On

:19:54.:20:00.

heat and on transport. It is a targets which by the way, the UK can

:20:01.:20:05.

be fined as far as missing is concerned. It is also a target which

:20:06.:20:14.

can be achieved by overachieving in some areas even if you are

:20:15.:20:20.

underachieving and others. The 12% renewable heat target, which we are

:20:21.:20:24.

failing miserably on at the moment, the 10% renewable field -- fuel

:20:25.:20:30.

target. Could actually be supported by continuing supporting onshore

:20:31.:20:35.

wind in this country. In order to make sure those targets were met. To

:20:36.:20:43.

cut onshore wind in this way might suggest, Mr Deputy Speaker, just

:20:44.:20:46.

when the extent of the failure to keep the overall target is

:20:47.:20:54.

irresponsible to say the lease. The further claim that we have heard in

:20:55.:20:58.

the passage of this bill is that this is all being done to help

:20:59.:21:02.

customers who have to pay for the underwriting of onshore wind. Of

:21:03.:21:08.

course, it is very important that we consider what bills customers are

:21:09.:21:12.

paying. When we go about deciding how best we established our energy

:21:13.:21:19.

mix for the future. We will have to establish our energy mix that is the

:21:20.:21:25.

most affordable, is the least carbon icing, and is the most secure over

:21:26.:21:34.

the next period. Clearly this is being done to help customers in

:21:35.:21:42.

reality paper-thin. Among other things, because if the government

:21:43.:21:45.

were serious about renewables in general as they claim they are, the

:21:46.:21:53.

hole left by onshore wind by the closure of the RO and other things

:21:54.:22:00.

there is a loss of ?1 billion on the cards as result of what is happening

:22:01.:22:05.

in terms of lack of investment following on from the changes indeed

:22:06.:22:10.

is the select committee has reflected. The point is that those

:22:11.:22:15.

polls will need to be made up by other renewable sources that are at

:22:16.:22:19.

present more expensive to underwrite. Then the onshore wind

:22:20.:22:26.

that they replace. The next outcome of this particular measure could

:22:27.:22:31.

well be that actually the costs to customers is considerably more than

:22:32.:22:36.

is the case at the moment it particular abridgments at the stand

:22:37.:22:38.

right now I have been allowed to continue to their conclusion.

:22:39.:22:44.

Indeed, onshore wind is at the root bleeding edge of market parity. The

:22:45.:22:49.

government will be aware was on a stained blind path to parity when

:22:50.:22:57.

investor confidence high. I estimate that the test -- damage to investor

:22:58.:23:08.

confidence is Norma's. -- enormous. It was competitive deployment will

:23:09.:23:13.

progress a cliff in which investment will fall. The further claim that

:23:14.:23:29.

the change that is being proposed in this bill is necessary is all to do

:23:30.:23:40.

with the Levy control framework, the eminent that we have these days is a

:23:41.:23:49.

control framework formed and ask security by government and has the

:23:50.:23:56.

same background gloom that people attend to have the Thai collations

:23:57.:24:02.

in variations that have the consequence. It was devised in 2011

:24:03.:24:10.

by the government to get us into a position where something like seven

:24:11.:24:19.

points ?6 billion at 2012 prices of Levy payers money -- seven 6p, that

:24:20.:24:37.

is... Was supposed to provide a framework for renewables to develop

:24:38.:24:41.

within. The Levy control framework I think a number of honourable members

:24:42.:24:47.

will be aware is based on a static end points, 2020 in this instance.

:24:48.:24:57.

When actually prices are very low. It is based on the idea of a strike

:24:58.:25:04.

price, which energy, renewable energy will receive. Agreed in

:25:05.:25:12.

certainly is for onshore wind is concerned an auction process.

:25:13.:25:16.

Against a reference price which is the price that is the medium price

:25:17.:25:24.

for energy at a particular time. They will be considered in two of

:25:25.:25:28.

what rewards will be undertaken for that renewable energy. As and if

:25:29.:25:35.

energy prices go down than the difference between the strike price

:25:36.:25:39.

and the reference price widens. Although renewable energy

:25:40.:25:44.

development will receive the same amount of money for their renewable

:25:45.:25:49.

energy the makeup of that particular amount of money to the renewable

:25:50.:25:53.

energy developer will turn out to be very different. That is the more

:25:54.:25:58.

prices go down the less they will get in terms of the reference price

:25:59.:26:04.

as the more they will get in the difference of the reference price in

:26:05.:26:08.

the strike price from the daily control framework. The Levy control

:26:09.:26:13.

framework over the period of time as it is presently designed increases

:26:14.:26:18.

the reward to those who are inside the system even though they don't

:26:19.:26:23.

get a total additional reward, but it squeezes new interest out of the

:26:24.:26:28.

process because all of the money is made up of rewarding those who are

:26:29.:26:32.

already inside the system and less and less money is made up of

:26:33.:26:36.

providing money from new interest outside the system. Many

:26:37.:26:41.

commentators consider that the Levy control framework in its present

:26:42.:26:46.

form is essentially busts as far as new entrants are concerned.

:26:47.:26:58.

Therefore the claim that the relatively small amount of change

:26:59.:27:03.

that will be undertaken by the Levy control of framework by ending the

:27:04.:27:08.

renewable obligation period a year early is all about how the Levy

:27:09.:27:11.

control framework balances itself. It is already a pretty thin claim

:27:12.:27:17.

indeed. Bearing in mind for city range of headroom is that

:27:18.:27:23.

theoretically has been in the Levy control framework added to

:27:24.:27:27.

difficulties of the Levy control framework itself has. I was struck

:27:28.:27:32.

recently by a simultaneous announcement that government will be

:27:33.:27:45.

closing the RO early. To have other technology to save an estimate of ?1

:27:46.:27:54.

2020. Line the same breath as it expensive thing which will be paid

:27:55.:28:01.

for by customers and in this instance but ?20 on bills by 2020.

:28:02.:28:06.

In this instance it is estimated that the early closure of the

:28:07.:28:11.

renewable obligation saves bill pay or something like 30p on their

:28:12.:28:17.

bills. It increases their carbon emissions by millions of tonnes. The

:28:18.:28:25.

number of conservative parties back benches on wind as it is about a

:28:26.:28:33.

surgical strike on an area of difficulty and your honourable

:28:34.:28:38.

friends for the control framework. As the inadequacies of the grace

:28:39.:28:42.

period of this organisation show it is not even if this government will

:28:43.:28:48.

benefit the schemes from those backbenchers and need to ensure the

:28:49.:28:57.

look making favours wind that we on the side support incidentally.

:28:58.:29:00.

Providing it really is the case because of a wind farm get support

:29:01.:29:04.

to the planning process and has community backing as many schemes

:29:05.:29:10.

currently do, then it does get the go-ahead from government. It really

:29:11.:29:14.

is the principle behind the deployment of onshore winds that the

:29:15.:29:17.

government supports than it should immediately include other than

:29:18.:29:20.

exclude in number of schemes which is the current case. The schemes

:29:21.:29:25.

have always gone on the path of seeking local support and seeking

:29:26.:29:29.

local payment agreements and instead the government have put in place an

:29:30.:29:32.

arbitrary cutoff dates for such schemes even if they were in an

:29:33.:29:37.

advanced position to support them locally, there's awaiting their

:29:38.:29:38.

final certificate. A few moments ago he mentioned that

:29:39.:29:50.

he wasn't happy he didn't appear to be happy that the capacity auction

:29:51.:29:54.

with the government announced two weeks ago in the way has it that has

:29:55.:30:01.

with the Labor front bench the capacity auction should not be

:30:02.:30:09.

brought forward? The question of whether the capacity auction to be

:30:10.:30:12.

brought forward to an extent is a subset of the government believes

:30:13.:30:15.

those capacity options will actually be produced in the capacity or not

:30:16.:30:21.

the honourable member is fully aware. Indeed the capacity auction

:30:22.:30:27.

controls the framework I won't go into much deeper rather tepid

:30:28.:30:33.

arranges that the government has arranged as far as those auctions

:30:34.:30:36.

are concerned simply to try bringing auction forward by a gear with

:30:37.:30:43.

roughly the same parameters applying with clearance prices of the auction

:30:44.:30:46.

and roughly the same parameters about the distance between the

:30:47.:30:53.

clearance prices and the price to secure any new investment over the

:30:54.:30:57.

15 year period, it doesn't necessarily strike me as a smartest

:30:58.:31:02.

way to proceed with the aim of actually procuring long-term

:31:03.:31:06.

capacity in the capacity market itself. I think it is required of a

:31:07.:31:14.

capacity options to secure that and of the next period. But where I was

:31:15.:31:22.

just briefly, thinking about before that intervention, was indeed the

:31:23.:31:35.

subject of two back the House amendment 23 which I'm meeting also

:31:36.:31:45.

today -- moving. Schemes that have local support received should

:31:46.:31:50.

proceed and should adopt these amendments. These amendments are

:31:51.:31:54.

about schemes that have actually undertaken all the right moves and

:31:55.:31:57.

germs of getting local agreement to their particular plans, all the

:31:58.:32:01.

inquiries, the concerns, the planning arrangements, they are

:32:02.:32:06.

actually on the cusp of hitting those agreements agreed on. The

:32:07.:32:11.

planning on the local authority level in the government had just

:32:12.:32:18.

pulled the plug on that. The government therefore ought to adopt

:32:19.:32:25.

these amendments with its own principle that local areas should

:32:26.:32:29.

decide on local schemes and those local schemes could support where

:32:30.:32:35.

local community supported him. Conversely however Mr Speaker I fear

:32:36.:32:42.

that the bill if it is amended is a programme on wind short execution,

:32:43.:32:49.

and not on wind short programme. Our vision on the side of the House is

:32:50.:32:53.

locally supported up on shore when deployment complement in other

:32:54.:32:59.

places such as solar, optional wind options. Not because we have to do,

:33:00.:33:04.

but it is the right thing to do it insure and we have a balanced low

:33:05.:33:08.

carbon energy for the future. This bill stands in respect to this

:33:09.:33:13.

Clause points in the opposite direction. I earned -- urged the

:33:14.:33:22.

honourable members... Mr Deputy Speaker I rise to support the

:33:23.:33:26.

government in projection of the amendment which would delay getting

:33:27.:33:29.

rid of these subsidies for wind power. Our country desperately needs

:33:30.:33:35.

more electrical power to be available, I am pleased the

:33:36.:33:41.

government is now taking action with capacity auction to get more power

:33:42.:33:45.

available. It is more affordable power available. We need to tackle

:33:46.:33:50.

fuel poverty and prices that households can afford and purchase

:33:51.:33:53.

we need to have affordable power for extra industry which is one of the

:33:54.:34:05.

tensor product aims. People expect continuous power for light and to

:34:06.:34:12.

power their home, the industry needs continuous power for its processes.

:34:13.:34:18.

So for all his ground when it does not cut the mustard Mr Speaker. I am

:34:19.:34:23.

glad we have a government that recognises this. What the European

:34:24.:34:32.

Union is doing, what the Labour government is doing on energy policy

:34:33.:34:36.

will go down as one of their catastrophic failures. I think it is

:34:37.:34:41.

to be the exchange rate mechanism was destroyed much clap posterity in

:34:42.:34:47.

our country. It may not be as big as the disaster of the euro which may

:34:48.:34:52.

be the biggest classic possessed of the European Union. Europe as a

:34:53.:34:57.

whole, is becoming a area of two high-cost energy which is driving it

:34:58.:35:08.

out of the European Union. Far from sparing the planet any extra carbon

:35:09.:35:12.

dioxide, all these mad policy doing is the future carbon dioxide is

:35:13.:35:15.

produced somewhere else rather than within the European Union itself.

:35:16.:35:18.

When we look at the company like Germany, went in its respect you can

:35:19.:35:24.

admire, they have much more wind power, what happens when the wind

:35:25.:35:29.

doesn't blow up Mr Speaker I hop up tight what happens when the wind

:35:30.:35:34.

doesn't blow. Germany relies on extremely dirty coal powers to turn

:35:35.:35:36.

the electricity producing more carbon dioxide, which on average

:35:37.:35:44.

would have been better than the strange mixture of wind when the

:35:45.:35:50.

wind blows, the back-up power very often in Germany and Europe

:35:51.:35:55.

generated from coal is extremely bad for carbon dioxide, when the wind

:35:56.:36:04.

doesn't blow. In fact in Germany these the cold all the time the

:36:05.:36:11.

reason the carbon emissions 30% higher than the UK unit of GDP and

:36:12.:36:23.

at capita to be so much fossil fuel and cold here as well. When the wind

:36:24.:36:29.

doesn't blow then you can use more coal because obviously it there

:36:30.:36:34.

replaces the come from fossil fuel, so my point is that the wind system

:36:35.:36:39.

with fossil fuel back-up doesn't even work on its own terms and he is

:36:40.:36:43.

right that the German merit order is somewhat different in this country

:36:44.:36:48.

as we would like to point out Mr Deputy Speaker we have managed to do

:36:49.:36:52.

every damage of power in our generation from an economic point of

:36:53.:36:57.

view. Because it insists on giving economic priority like wind it means

:36:58.:37:03.

that the more liable to per sources like gas, themselves become

:37:04.:37:07.

intermittent because they have to be switched off every time the wind

:37:08.:37:10.

blows, and switched back on every time the wind isn't blowing, which

:37:11.:37:16.

in itself is difficult and expensive process. But also undermines the

:37:17.:37:20.

economics, which would otherwise be good economic power because you

:37:21.:37:25.

can't run the power plants flat out, you have higher operating costs of

:37:26.:37:30.

switching on and off and managing the furnaces accordingly, where you

:37:31.:37:38.

have as much generating less power that you cannot continuously sell

:37:39.:37:44.

power to the market. The honourable gentleman seems to understand the

:37:45.:37:52.

policy is sports the hand invested intervention that we have in the

:37:53.:37:55.

market, means that we are less reliable energy with intermittent

:37:56.:38:01.

unreliable energy every much cleared their energy -- cleaner energy. In

:38:02.:38:12.

the weight that this is been included in the cost of renewables,

:38:13.:38:20.

that the nonrenewable power I give way. Now the government per notes

:38:21.:38:32.

fossil fuels is at work, energy based on fossil fuels is a smart as

:38:33.:38:48.

opposed to up for... . Know it is a very interesting observation, with

:38:49.:38:51.

the fundamental truth I just given him what she does not seem to have

:38:52.:38:55.

reflected on at all. The truth of our current economic policy, I'll

:38:56.:39:03.

give way and the second. The truth about our energy policy is that

:39:04.:39:12.

various agencies have conspired unless we start to reverse those

:39:13.:39:14.

interventions you get those permissions affects -- pernicious.

:39:15.:39:27.

That doesn't mean that it is a good idea which is something that was

:39:28.:39:32.

very unreliable. It is dear then unremarkable fuel. I give way. Which

:39:33.:39:50.

I wonder with his own constituent which actually takes a great deal of

:39:51.:39:54.

work bouncing the system and includes substantial constraints as

:39:55.:40:00.

well as nonfossil fuel and fossil fuel inputs into the system, which

:40:01.:40:05.

causes actual shortages in power delivery at various stages whether

:40:06.:40:10.

fossil fuel or nonfossil fuel delivery queue might reflect on that

:40:11.:40:18.

in terms of his comments was white? Very instant comments, the last was

:40:19.:40:26.

quite recently they were saying it is very difficult to manage the

:40:27.:40:31.

systems with more intermittent winds put on the system and I think the

:40:32.:40:35.

honourable gentleman for reinforcing my point I'm not sure that's what he

:40:36.:40:38.

was trying to do but that is exactly what he does -- it does. The changes

:40:39.:40:50.

of the weather and the winds is screen factor could be accounted for

:40:51.:40:55.

primarily with Palm systems they could send a command from working to

:40:56.:40:59.

ignore to the water came down the hill very quickly the kettles could

:41:00.:41:05.

boil, the interval could whatever was causing the surge in power

:41:06.:41:08.

demand, it is much more difficult to the same time with the wind suddenly

:41:09.:41:12.

drops get the call power for other reasons. It is also leading to but

:41:13.:41:19.

more interconnected with other countries that we then connected

:41:20.:41:23.

order of power on a regular basis which is then not something I value.

:41:24.:41:28.

I want is to secure energy supply in our country, we are after all the

:41:29.:41:44.

land of seed oil and gas -- see. But as I want a industrial revival in

:41:45.:41:48.

this country, industrial revival could well start with importing less

:41:49.:41:55.

electricity is popular it is about security would he raise concerns,

:41:56.:42:00.

about the operation of the capacity market. As a huge deal among money

:42:01.:42:09.

and it is a monument to sleep feeling... The reason you end up

:42:10.:42:18.

with this cast, to try and make you can't run gas flat out into the

:42:19.:42:22.

benefits of running it in the most economical way possible. Yes I would

:42:23.:42:28.

rather have a much simpler market, I think the market works better in the

:42:29.:42:32.

80s and the 90s it was much more competitive and power prices peaked

:42:33.:42:39.

out a lot something like 25% in extra supplies we never had to worry

:42:40.:42:44.

about if you had a cold day with the wind not blowing and whether the

:42:45.:42:47.

industry was quite well. They had to switch the machines off under that

:42:48.:42:55.

regime now we have is grossly intervened regime with subsidies and

:42:56.:42:59.

priorities that don't reflect the economic powers of production. As

:43:00.:43:05.

the honourable gentleman rightly points out, you have to be quite

:43:06.:43:11.

high to provide gas phase power because you can't guarantee them

:43:12.:43:14.

full access to the market on a continuous basis. The more

:43:15.:43:21.

interventions you have over the years, Labour Party conservatives,

:43:22.:43:26.

the more it intervention in this regime you'll try to change it to

:43:27.:43:30.

make it work better the higher the prices must be because people become

:43:31.:43:35.

more suspicious if government has so much power, if the government keeps

:43:36.:43:40.

changing his mind. So it is quite easy from a relatively free

:43:41.:43:44.

successful market to badly damage wreaked subsidizing... You have so

:43:45.:43:57.

positioned in the minds of the investors, bigger contracts bigger

:43:58.:44:02.

guarantees higher prices to give them some kind of offset as they

:44:03.:44:10.

fear you might tinker unnecessarily. The government in its view I wish

:44:11.:44:13.

the government would get on with the remainder subsidies with onshore

:44:14.:44:19.

wind and the wind we said we would do, I hope the opposition will not

:44:20.:44:24.

delay further we get plenty of notified notice of this to get a

:44:25.:44:38.

better energy market. Onshore winds is the inexpensive form of renewable

:44:39.:44:44.

energy and is therefore critical, to maximise input into across the UK to

:44:45.:44:52.

enable both Scotland and the rest of the UK to hit and meet claim change

:44:53.:45:03.

targets. Closing the RO early, pounds of... The forecast of saving

:45:04.:45:13.

bills, this equates to 63 million tonnes of CO2 and is therefore a

:45:14.:45:22.

missed opportunity in terms of hitting climate change targets. I

:45:23.:45:26.

spoke at length at the committee in terms of grace periods to get them

:45:27.:45:31.

right as I won't Labor the point here, however it is important and

:45:32.:45:34.

should not disadvantage projects with no follow their own fall to the

:45:35.:45:43.

cracks due to closure of the RO. My friends out the honourable members

:45:44.:45:49.

as he is no longer in his place, they have both spoken about the real

:45:50.:45:56.

and very difficult deterioration of invested confidence, now is

:45:57.:46:03.

proceeding it must be done fairly and with a view to the critical part

:46:04.:46:07.

of onshore wind plays in the over all energy solution for the UK. We

:46:08.:46:14.

must keep the lights on, and this is why I am moving forward amendment

:46:15.:46:16.

eight of the bill thank you Mr Deputy Speaker.

:46:17.:46:29.

As they made clear during our last debate on this issue are the

:46:30.:46:40.

equivalent approach about onshore winds in order to provide

:46:41.:46:44.

consistency to industry and to protect the bills. So amendment 50

:46:45.:46:50.

is in relation to Clause 81 to backstop our regarding Northern

:46:51.:46:53.

Ireland. At committee stage, I introduced a Clause with a view crew

:46:54.:46:59.

of protecting viewers the macro customers in group a and -- Great

:47:00.:47:06.

Britain. I'd like your remind the honourable members the Clause

:47:07.:47:08.

receives considerable support at that stage, but also with backstop

:47:09.:47:15.

power. That is only to save the power is exercised if Northern

:47:16.:47:19.

Ireland decides not to close the Northern Ireland renewable

:47:20.:47:22.

obligation scheme to renew onshore winds with renewable terms. This new

:47:23.:47:28.

moment simply clarifies the drafting of the Clause, to ensure consistency

:47:29.:47:33.

with the early closure of the renewals observation by making it

:47:34.:47:42.

clear that the power in Clause 81 extends to additional capacity adds

:47:43.:47:46.

to on store... Onshore wind stations. So Mr Deputy Speaker I

:47:47.:47:50.

should highlight that the intent behind the Clause is not use at all.

:47:51.:47:56.

Coming now to a nongovernment amendment I like to thank all

:47:57.:47:59.

honourable members for the complements and I will not respond

:48:00.:48:05.

to the amendment to this group. A number of amendments specifically

:48:06.:48:11.

set out one through 21 have already been discussed in some detail and at

:48:12.:48:17.

length during committee. Mr Deputy Speaker as far as I can see

:48:18.:48:29.

following their agreement not to... Gerald... But to ensure clarity for

:48:30.:48:33.

the honourable members that have not attended that debate, to move

:48:34.:48:37.

forward this debate, I am very happy to gain this government position. I

:48:38.:48:44.

will remind these are all members of clauses 79, and 80. Closet 79

:48:45.:48:49.

implements the early closure of the renewables obligation to onshore

:48:50.:48:53.

winds in Great Britain. Clause 80 sets up the great period under which

:48:54.:48:59.

certain period projects may be accredited beyond the early closure

:49:00.:49:04.

date. So let me be very clear at this point. The government remains

:49:05.:49:08.

committed to delivering our manifesto pledge to end new

:49:09.:49:11.

subsidies for onshore wind, and I'm grateful to my right honourable

:49:12.:49:17.

friend am I to my other honourable friends for their clear support

:49:18.:49:22.

expressed during this debate. But, the government is also conscious of

:49:23.:49:28.

industry certainty and to respond to the quest the honourable friend I

:49:29.:49:33.

like to make it clear that if it goes beyond this bill be on the 31st

:49:34.:49:43.

of March,, and it does not intend to back the provisions. I want to

:49:44.:49:47.

reiterate there is absolutely no change to our commitment to and new

:49:48.:49:51.

subsidies for onshore winds and our actions have shown that we are going

:49:52.:49:56.

to be tough on subsidies in order to keep bills down for families and

:49:57.:50:02.

businesses. Onshore wind has deployed successfully to date, and

:50:03.:50:07.

as demonstrated renewable obligations into account, we expect

:50:08.:50:14.

onshore to fall within our delivery plan projections at 11 to 13

:50:15.:50:21.

gigawatts by 2020. This is our best estimate of what is needed to meet

:50:22.:50:25.

our 2020 target, and is what is affordable by low spending cap. When

:50:26.:50:31.

we announced early closure on the 18th of June, we said it was

:50:32.:50:36.

appropriate that the did appointment of onshore wind balancing the

:50:37.:50:40.

interests of onshore developers with the white public. As I have

:50:41.:50:45.

explained in our debates, the grace period with Clause 80 would develop

:50:46.:50:52.

extensive state engagement and would be designed physically to divide

:50:53.:50:57.

specific seat and clarity in the market. Referred to as the condition

:50:58.:51:10.

in the bill. This requires projects under the RO under the March 2017 --

:51:11.:51:25.

2017... All confirmation that no connection is required and three

:51:26.:51:32.

Access to land rights so Mr Deputy Speaker following further industry

:51:33.:51:35.

given and announced to buy my department, the bill provisions have

:51:36.:51:39.

been improved in a number of ways. Firstly to capture those projects

:51:40.:51:42.

which have a planning application refused before the eight 10th of

:51:43.:51:55.

June -- 18th of June. Which is then subsequently granted consents...

:51:56.:52:04.

Allowing certain projects that qualify for the grace period an

:52:05.:52:09.

additional nine months in which to accredit whether they have been

:52:10.:52:13.

unable to secure debt funding due to legislative uncertainty. Thirdly, to

:52:14.:52:20.

provide the existing rid in regard grace period will be available so

:52:21.:52:25.

that projects who have suffered out of control of their area will have a

:52:26.:52:28.

further 12 months in which to accredit. Let me take a moment to

:52:29.:52:35.

reflect on this. The government believes that the early closure

:52:36.:52:40.

grace period provisions we have put in the bill strikes the right

:52:41.:52:44.

balance between protecting invested confidence and ensuring our costs

:52:45.:52:51.

under the living control framework I give Wade. Does she create a

:52:52.:53:10.

understand this difficulty obviously in Wales the infrastructure

:53:11.:53:12.

applications Wales and England are different can they come together?

:53:13.:53:16.

I'm grateful to the honourable General plan for his point --

:53:17.:53:26.

gentlemen those clarity have gotten it from the words in the debates,

:53:27.:53:32.

and on the face of the bill. Invested confidence seems to be the

:53:33.:53:41.

main reason used to support more changes. Many of the under other

:53:42.:53:45.

amendments which have been tabled here today so let me make reference

:53:46.:53:51.

to the energy and climate change select committee recent inquiry

:53:52.:53:55.

invested confidence which was included later this year I want to

:53:56.:54:00.

reflect at one point in particular which was raised in the committee's

:54:01.:54:11.

sessions. He suggested that if that investments... For example in

:54:12.:54:15.

offshore wind, foreign policies actually putting investors off for

:54:16.:54:22.

policy the UK significant as it is so coming forward. So Mr Deputy

:54:23.:54:27.

Speaker I like to think my honourable friend as well as my

:54:28.:54:35.

honourable friend over there, who have all raised with me the

:54:36.:54:40.

important issues around noise impact from onshore wind farms and the

:54:41.:54:43.

impact they can have on the local level I can confirm to them

:54:44.:54:49.

specifically hope the spread of onshore wind farms and change the

:54:50.:54:54.

laws to the local people have the final say on wind farm applications.

:54:55.:54:58.

We are making sure that people's concerns are sure and addressed that

:54:59.:55:06.

amplitude modulation and ways are controlled. We touched on this on

:55:07.:55:10.

the committee, as I said then we would address them at matter and

:55:11.:55:16.

find a solution to the problem. This might be taking longer than my

:55:17.:55:19.

honourable friend would like, but we are taking independent advice on how

:55:20.:55:22.

best to act in light of that advice, which I do expect to receive

:55:23.:55:26.

shortly. So at this stage, I can't comment further but I think my

:55:27.:55:30.

honourable friend will continue to beat patient with me in the laws and

:55:31.:55:34.

we are very closely looking at this. So turning out to New Clause to Mac

:55:35.:55:46.

it is imperative that the early in order to protect consumers from the

:55:47.:55:49.

risk of over deployment by what beyond what has been degreed. New

:55:50.:55:58.

Clause dos mac would allow Scottish ministers for Scottish ministers

:55:59.:56:02.

under the obligation as a cost consumers right across the Great

:56:03.:56:06.

Britain in fact our estimates show in 2015, 20 million pounds were

:56:07.:56:15.

approximately 60% of our support are ready to go to funding onshore wind

:56:16.:56:20.

farms in the around 20% of UK bill payers are in Scotland. The

:56:21.:56:27.

honourable member busy tabled this at that time we discussed Scotland

:56:28.:56:33.

being willing to take responsibility to taking that obligation. During

:56:34.:56:38.

the debate, the honourable member of Cambridge responded with the short

:56:39.:56:44.

answered no to that suggestion. I can't imagine that his position has

:56:45.:56:47.

changed in the brief period of time since that debate. Turning out

:56:48.:56:56.

amendments eight a planning committee made have been reminded to

:56:57.:56:59.

grant planning consent but woods to not have full operation of the 18th

:57:00.:57:05.

of June last year that Mr Deputy Speaker would include projects with

:57:06.:57:10.

had just had an indication that they received planning consent subject to

:57:11.:57:19.

section 106 all those projects were minded to approve a planning

:57:20.:57:24.

application before the 18th of June. The planning was not issued until

:57:25.:57:27.

after the state. Such an amendment would lead to additional appointment

:57:28.:57:35.

further blurring the clear bright line which government has set out

:57:36.:57:40.

projects wishing to be accredited under the RO under the 31st of

:57:41.:57:49.

March. To be clear as projects did not have committee permission and

:57:50.:57:51.

would not meet the grace period I'm very grateful, and to my

:57:52.:58:03.

intervention, issue go to and for the House on whether the project in

:58:04.:58:09.

my constituency will now be eligible for that? Did not have the

:58:10.:58:15.

infrastructure planning commission, and despite my request to the

:58:16.:58:20.

department, nobody can tell me or my constituents where that project will

:58:21.:58:28.

be. As I have already said to the honourable gentleman, I think it is

:58:29.:58:31.

very clear from words in this committee chamber as well as in the

:58:32.:58:37.

bill committee, what our intentions are, and I will certainly look into

:58:38.:58:41.

the case that he mentions, but I do not have the information is looking

:58:42.:58:44.

for right now. I do want to turn to speak specifically to amendments

:58:45.:58:49.

24-46. All of these amendments are intended to delay the early closure

:58:50.:58:54.

of the RL, until the 1st of March 20 17. Closing at only one month

:58:55.:58:56.

earlier than the original closure date, of the 31st of March. 2017. It

:58:57.:59:03.

is therefore my understanding that Honorable members wish to see the

:59:04.:59:07.

Argo closed in the onshore wind, only a month earlier than planned.

:59:08.:59:10.

While maintaining the grace period provisions as set out by the

:59:11.:59:14.

government. Clearly, such a change would not meet the objectives of the

:59:15.:59:18.

early closure policy, which I have consistently set out in debates on

:59:19.:59:21.

the bill, and which I have explained the danger today. To change the

:59:22.:59:25.

early closure date to the 1st of March 2017, it would go against the

:59:26.:59:30.

intentions of our manifesto commitment, but would also likely

:59:31.:59:33.

have no production on overall deployment or cost, and to the levee

:59:34.:59:38.

control framework. May I remind Honorable members that these limits

:59:39.:59:41.

have been set for a crucial reason, as my right arm or friend the

:59:42.:59:45.

Secretary of State set out in her speech in November last year, we can

:59:46.:59:49.

only expect to bill payors to support low carbon power as long as

:59:50.:59:54.

costs are controlled. I inherited a departmental policy costs on bills

:59:55.:59:58.

in spiral. Subsidy should be temporary, not part of a permanent

:59:59.:00:03.

business model. May I also remind Honorable members again that this

:00:04.:00:07.

government has an electoral mandate to deliver on our manifesto

:00:08.:00:10.

commitment to help the spread of onshore wind, and that is exactly

:00:11.:00:15.

what this Clause is intended to do. However, the government is mindful

:00:16.:00:18.

of the need to protect investor confidence, and to take into account

:00:19.:00:22.

the interests of the on door -- onshore wind industry. This is why

:00:23.:00:25.

we have set a grace period provisions that appear in Clause 80.

:00:26.:00:29.

I believe I've consistently explained that the government has an

:00:30.:00:34.

obligation to protect consumers, from the risk of over deployment of

:00:35.:00:38.

new onshore wind, and rising energy bills. The date changes proposed by

:00:39.:00:42.

these amendments simply put us back to where we started. Providing no

:00:43.:00:47.

protection for consumers, and with the risk of deploying up to another

:00:48.:00:52.

7-.1 gigawatts of onshore wind, well beyond what the government has

:00:53.:00:56.

decided, under the levee control framework. To conclude, Mr Deputy

:00:57.:01:00.

Speaker, I want to stress the importance of moving swiftly forward

:01:01.:01:03.

with these proposals. I would like to again quote the Honorable member

:01:04.:01:08.

for Coatbridge, who said during the to -- committee debate on this

:01:09.:01:13.

issue, that we agree that the swift passage of the bill with clear and

:01:14.:01:17.

consistent than auto grace period provisions is needed, in order to

:01:18.:01:20.

provide certainty to investors in the onshore wind sector, as quickly

:01:21.:01:25.

as possible. Clear and consistent provisions are exactly what this

:01:26.:01:28.

government is attempting to provide, and we need to be able to move

:01:29.:01:33.

forward with this debate to do so. Thank you, Mr to be the Speaker. --

:01:34.:01:38.

Deputy Speaker. We now come to amended to move 24

:01:39.:01:45.

formally. The question is that amended the 24

:01:46.:01:57.

be made, As many as are of the opinion, say "aye". To the contrary,

:01:58.:01:59.

"no". Clear the lobbies! Voter! Order! -- order! The ayes,

:02:00.:15:25.

183, the noes, 270. The ice to the right, 183, the noes to the left,

:15:26.:15:39.

270. The noes have it! Will we move formally? As many as are of the

:15:40.:15:44.

opinion, say "aye". To the contrary, "no". Clear the lobbies!

:15:45.:18:33.

This is amendment take. As many as are of the opinion, say "aye". To

:18:34.:18:37.

the contrary, "no". Order, order! De-ice next to the

:18:38.:26:53.

right 229. The noes to the left, 271. -- the ayes. The ayes 229, the

:26:54.:27:07.

nose look back 271. The noes habit. Unlock.

:27:08.:27:19.

Minister to the government -- ayes. The contrary know. I think the ayes

:27:20.:27:31.

habit. The not come to New Clause three. -- new. Thank you Mr Deputy

:27:32.:27:46.

Speaker. I stand to move New Clause three of one and four. You are -- I

:27:47.:27:58.

am confused by the ordering. On behalf of my party. It struck me in

:27:59.:28:07.

the previous debate we had when the honourable member who is no longer

:28:08.:28:12.

in his place talked about how we could find an environmentally

:28:13.:28:18.

sustainable way of getting power from the island of coal in a sea of

:28:19.:28:26.

oil and gas, which I think he was referring to Griffin in that regard.

:28:27.:28:29.

I think that there may well be a way of doing that in an environmentally

:28:30.:28:31.

sustainable way. That is through carbon capture and storage. New

:28:32.:28:34.

Clause three that I have put forward is calling upon the government to

:28:35.:28:41.

bring forward proper, well thought out, and a well consulted plant in

:28:42.:28:45.

strategy for carbon captured storage and how it can be utilised in both

:28:46.:28:53.

the energy and also the the energy intensive industry tobacco industry.

:28:54.:29:05.

We talked a large amount about the discussion in the report from the

:29:06.:29:16.

energy and climate claim a macro change select committee with a

:29:17.:29:21.

mentioned the changes to policy having an impact on the edition of

:29:22.:29:26.

the United Kingdom but it comes to investor confidence. The decision to

:29:27.:29:31.

withdraw the funding, ?1 billion that was available for carbon

:29:32.:29:38.

capture capture at the same time as the Secretary of State for Energy

:29:39.:29:40.

and Climate Change was in Paris meeting the high ambition Coalition

:29:41.:29:44.

on behalf of the country at the Paris talks is perhaps the most

:29:45.:29:53.

grades of those changes. Ante with the honourable gentleman and I think

:29:54.:29:56.

him for giving way. Does he agree with me about the fact that that

:29:57.:30:00.

information was extolled to the city of London rather than this place on

:30:01.:30:05.

the same day is a demonstration of where the government's real attitude

:30:06.:30:10.

towards this place is? I think the honourable member for his

:30:11.:30:13.

intervention. I would agree very much about. Iron member sitting on

:30:14.:30:17.

this bench looking through the budget statement and being somewhat

:30:18.:30:23.

relieved that the rumours that were being scrapped to not appear in the

:30:24.:30:27.

budget statement. Low and behold on the announcement of the stock market

:30:28.:30:34.

some moments after the chance to let the chamber is for moving back

:30:35.:30:37.

funding, and confirming to the stock exchange. As I understand it, no

:30:38.:30:42.

greater certainty was provided to become the micro companies that were

:30:43.:30:49.

involved. I thank my honourable friend forgiving way. I would add

:30:50.:30:52.

further to the point that on the morning of this budget I intervened

:30:53.:30:59.

on another member and asked that the Minister despond and get assurances

:31:00.:31:06.

that both of those projects would not be cut, and that it was

:31:07.:31:11.

forthcoming. There was nothing in the ... I think my honourable friend

:31:12.:31:20.

for that and I would agree likewise. I think that the fact that we have

:31:21.:31:24.

differing parties with the same essential view about the way that

:31:25.:31:29.

not only the government has abysmally handled this process, but

:31:30.:31:33.

also how we need to salvage something from the ashes of the

:31:34.:31:37.

carbon capture competition. It strikes me that there is not a huge

:31:38.:31:41.

amount of difference between the proposal in my name and a New Clause

:31:42.:31:45.

seven, and the name of the Labor front benches. The difference that I

:31:46.:31:49.

would say, and we have this discussion on committee, is that it

:31:50.:31:53.

is the inclusion of the devolved administrations in terms of

:31:54.:31:58.

developing strategies and working have been pursuing what would have

:31:59.:32:03.

or should have been the second phase of the carbon capture and storage

:32:04.:32:09.

agreement. They have high ambition in terms of the deployment of carbon

:32:10.:32:14.

capture storage and shared the concerns of many in this house in

:32:15.:32:18.

the way that the government has handled that. In terms of

:32:19.:32:23.

short-sighted decisions, I understand that white rose had

:32:24.:32:28.

substantial European Union funding. The potential in terms of Peterhead

:32:29.:32:35.

in particular to use carbon capture and storage, or potentially carbon

:32:36.:32:42.

capture and utilisation in terms of creating a cycle in terms of

:32:43.:32:46.

enhanced oil recovery, there is a potential to use this resource. That

:32:47.:32:50.

potential has not been lost. The suggestion from the climate change

:32:51.:32:56.

committee that this meeting -- would make meeting our commitments even

:32:57.:33:01.

harder, suggest the need for the strategy that I'm proposing. We have

:33:02.:33:05.

seen the government be all over the shop when it comes to carbon capture

:33:06.:33:08.

and storage. One minute they are for it, the next they are against it.

:33:09.:33:13.

One minute it is not working, and in the next it is promising for the

:33:14.:33:17.

future. Investor confidence, these are severe mixed messages. We need

:33:18.:33:24.

clarity. If there is going to the investment from an industry, which I

:33:25.:33:28.

certainly hope, and I get the general impression that on both

:33:29.:33:31.

sides of this house there are honourable members who wish to see

:33:32.:33:35.

this become a reality in the United Kingdom. We need an equivocal

:33:36.:33:39.

statement from the government, and we need an unequivocal strategy,

:33:40.:33:44.

which is what I am calling for today. There is a time between the

:33:45.:33:50.

utilisation of the infrastructure in the North Sea, and what can be

:33:51.:33:55.

deployed for carbon capture and storage. My New Clause one, in terms

:33:56.:33:59.

of a strategy for decommissioning, I think that that is something that is

:34:00.:34:03.

incumbent upon the government to bring forth. Decommissioning will be

:34:04.:34:08.

one of the sad realities, I think, of the North Sea. It is going to

:34:09.:34:16.

happen. We all hope that it will happen sometime in the future. I

:34:17.:34:21.

think that the government can take steps around about that, the tax

:34:22.:34:26.

cuts that are being called for from the marker from the industry. It is

:34:27.:34:36.

going to come. That is a huge, huge opportunity. There is upwards of 30

:34:37.:34:43.

billion of pounds worth of work to be done in terms of decommissioning.

:34:44.:34:47.

A large part of that bill will be paid back in terms of reimbursing

:34:48.:34:51.

the companies from previous tax. They have built up the tax to offset

:34:52.:34:56.

against decommissioning cost. Essentially, going for the Treasury

:34:57.:35:00.

will be fitting the bill for a large part of decommissioning. It strikes

:35:01.:35:06.

me, and my party, that we need to ensure that the greatest possible

:35:07.:35:11.

benefit comes to these shores as possible. The marker. The East

:35:12.:35:21.

Coast... Chomping at the bed, quite frankly, to see work come ashore. I

:35:22.:35:23.

know that the shelf platform -- ... He is spot on in relation to...

:35:24.:35:45.

However, when he agreed that with the inclusion of the decommissioning

:35:46.:35:48.

there is also the potential for extra surveys where rigs currently

:35:49.:35:55.

are to investigate gas potential? You already have the infrastructure

:35:56.:35:59.

there to look at subsea coal, for example. There is a large number of

:36:00.:36:06.

things that need to be done before become and wholesale

:36:07.:36:07.

decommissioning. The widest possible consideration before the

:36:08.:36:11.

infrastructure can be used from, that are not in the proposals and

:36:12.:36:15.

possibilities, but they aren't the rest whether it is carbon capture,

:36:16.:36:20.

storage and other things. Whether it is looking to see if there are

:36:21.:36:26.

further hydrocarbon resources that have yet to be discovered there are

:36:27.:36:30.

vast possibilities. While the infrastructure is there, the

:36:31.:36:33.

opportunities for doing other things that there will always remain. Once

:36:34.:36:37.

it is gone, the opportunity is gone. That is incumbent. I think that is

:36:38.:36:41.

something that the Oil and Gas Authority, which is a barge part of

:36:42.:36:46.

this bill, but not the particular aspect have done a lot of work on

:36:47.:36:50.

and are to be commended not in terms of the development. The

:36:51.:36:54.

decommissioning, as I say is a reality. If we are smart,

:36:55.:37:01.

collectively, and we are able to line up the ducks in terms of the

:37:02.:37:05.

supply chain, skills, investments imports, and such like. It is a

:37:06.:37:10.

massive windfall that can be brought back. We have considerable leverage

:37:11.:37:16.

as funders of a large part of this. Through tax receipts offset against

:37:17.:37:22.

previous earnings. We should be looking to maximise that economic

:37:23.:37:28.

potential in the same ways of looking to maximise the economic

:37:29.:37:33.

recovery of the North Sea. I think my honourable friend for giving way.

:37:34.:37:37.

On the point of the opportunity here, does he agree with me that

:37:38.:37:41.

didn't decommissioning goes hand in hand with the critical assessment,

:37:42.:37:47.

evaluation, and management of the infrastructure that surrounds these

:37:48.:37:50.

things to have access to marginal fuel which would not otherwise be

:37:51.:37:55.

available for the critical infrastructure is not kept in place

:37:56.:37:59.

as part of an overall plan with a long-term vision for the energy? I

:38:00.:38:05.

agree with my honourable friend. That is something that the Oil and

:38:06.:38:08.

Gas Authority is set to look at. And something that will be chiefly

:38:09.:38:15.

beneficial to the oil and gas that position going for. That were dusty

:38:16.:38:21.

to take place. We need to aware of, but we also need to remember that

:38:22.:38:25.

this government has a duty to support the will and gas industry at

:38:26.:38:28.

this time, and will reiterate the calls made by myself and others in

:38:29.:38:32.

my party to see substantial movement. It may seem ironic that I

:38:33.:38:44.

am going to move on from talking about how we can best exploit the

:38:45.:38:47.

North Sea to talk about how we can best tackle climate change. Because

:38:48.:38:54.

we have been a major producer and user of hydrocarbons, there is a

:38:55.:38:58.

moral duty upon us to do what we can. I know that New Clause 11, and

:38:59.:39:06.

the name of the right honourable members of among others is on the

:39:07.:39:12.

order paper. It is not something that I think that I would be able to

:39:13.:39:15.

support, but I endorsed possible. I think that it is a big need to do

:39:16.:39:20.

going for. I would rather see is the correct pathway to that, there are a

:39:21.:39:27.

number of new clock for micro classes that deal with the

:39:28.:39:28.

short-term. It strikes me that we I am hopeful that zero carbon future

:39:29.:39:47.

can be achieved, but the pathway to that is not clear to me and I don't

:39:48.:39:51.

think that it would be clear to the government if they were to commence

:39:52.:39:55.

at work. What I would rather see is things that are in the gift of the

:39:56.:39:58.

government at this moment in time if they were to focus on that and

:39:59.:40:02.

deliver upon them, and to act sooner rather than later. The more work

:40:03.:40:06.

that we do not, the less we have to do in the future. It is about timing

:40:07.:40:13.

and priorities. The concept is to be wholeheartedly recommended, and

:40:14.:40:16.

supported. I think in terms of prioritising it. I am not quite on

:40:17.:40:23.

terms with that. I would like to talk about news Clause ten which I

:40:24.:40:28.

was happy to add my support to. I would imagine a number of others who

:40:29.:40:33.

will also talk about it in greater detail. The carbon accounting

:40:34.:40:41.

mechanisms that we have need to be brought into line with what is

:40:42.:40:44.

actually happening and going to happen. The fact that we can get to

:40:45.:40:49.

the stage where upwards of half of our emissions do not properly

:40:50.:40:55.

factored into our carbon accounting means that we are not able to set

:40:56.:41:01.

about in an open and honest way and achieve what we must. Numerous

:41:02.:41:07.

people have said that we need to get serious about this. If we were to

:41:08.:41:12.

get serious about taking the steps that we need to make our

:41:13.:41:16.

contribution to tackling time and change, we absolutely have to be

:41:17.:41:20.

clear about what we are counting. It is the basics of this. The bean

:41:21.:41:25.

counting of climate change might mean seem particularly appealing to

:41:26.:41:28.

sign, but it is the absolute fundamental. If we don't know what

:41:29.:41:33.

the initials are and we are not counting improperly, how do we look

:41:34.:41:37.

to tackle the challenge of reducing them properly? With that, Mr Speaker

:41:38.:41:48.

I will drop my marks. The question is that New Clause three be read a

:41:49.:41:56.

second time. Thank you Mr Speaker. In the absence of alternatives on

:41:57.:42:01.

the side of the House, I am happy to follow the Member for Aberdeen top.

:42:02.:42:05.

I agree with much of what he said about carbon capture, but my

:42:06.:42:10.

comments around New Clause ten. I don't agree with the rest of that

:42:11.:42:15.

new clock and I want to set out with why that is. Let me be clear. I also

:42:16.:42:24.

regard man-made climate change as a clear and present danger. The

:42:25.:42:29.

concerned that I have is that we are increasingly acting in this country

:42:30.:42:34.

unilaterally in terms of what we are doing to fix it. Indeed, the

:42:35.:42:40.

emission trading system was an attempt to have a Pan European

:42:41.:42:46.

solution to a Pan European problem. I don't want us to turn our back on

:42:47.:42:53.

it. I speak also for 900,000 people that are working in energy intensive

:42:54.:42:58.

industries and millions of people that break in and manufacturing

:42:59.:43:01.

industries and his country. The central premise of what I'm going to

:43:02.:43:06.

say is that I don't believe it is possible to rebalance our economy,

:43:07.:43:11.

to have a marked the makers, to do more in the north of the country

:43:12.:43:17.

predicated on the chastity devices that are approximately double up

:43:18.:43:25.

what they are in continental Europe. -- electricity. This morning, at our

:43:26.:43:41.

energy intensive industries are paying for P per unit. Or nine

:43:42.:43:53.

keepers unit. -- 9p. The gap between the UK and EU electricity prices is

:43:54.:43:59.

80 to 90%. I could just come back from aim and people in the north of

:44:00.:44:07.

this country. They want to see this established in the north that they

:44:08.:44:10.

cannot see on the basis of differentially higher devices stop

:44:11.:44:22.

yellow. If you talk about... The government that

:44:23.:44:26.

... Also there is a factor in relations that our European

:44:27.:44:35.

competitors that they put. The cost generally are, by and

:44:36.:44:47.

large, the same varying from country to country. He has made two points.

:44:48.:44:55.

First is about the price for. I don't support policy in that area.

:44:56.:45:00.

The consequent of policy in that area is that we are not importing

:45:01.:45:03.

electricity that is being produced in the continent by power stations

:45:04.:45:08.

that don't pay the carbon tax at the level that we do. That is no sort of

:45:09.:45:18.

economic or industrial policy. On the second point, I have forgotten.

:45:19.:45:23.

If you could just reminding. The distribution of the cost is more on

:45:24.:45:26.

the consumer then on the member state. Germany. That is true

:45:27.:45:32.

particularly of Germany. Apparently, I invited expert, but I hear Mrs.

:45:33.:45:39.

Talking about that. There is a state eight issue. -- aid. They can charge

:45:40.:45:50.

such a differential, and apparently began. I agree that it is

:45:51.:46:00.

unsatisfactory. I talk a little bit about the 900,000 jobs in energy

:46:01.:46:03.

intensive energy for micro industry that we have to be cognizant of as a

:46:04.:46:14.

new Ford. Steel, aluminium, what is left of the aluminium industry.

:46:15.:46:17.

There were three smelters in this country until the year ago. It is

:46:18.:46:23.

not one left in Scotland, and that is under consultation for closure.

:46:24.:46:28.

This stuff matters. Of course, so scrimmages. Our only point is that

:46:29.:46:34.

we have to a balance. The people that paper that balance cannot be

:46:35.:46:37.

those that work in some those industries. I have four points that

:46:38.:46:43.

I would like to put in front of the House and terms of what I believe is

:46:44.:46:48.

as different in approach between the UK with our climate budget and

:46:49.:46:53.

climate change act in the EU. The first one, Paris. People talk of the

:46:54.:46:58.

Paris agreement in December as a time. In many ways it was. I

:46:59.:47:04.

personally don't believe that the agreement will be made. I think that

:47:05.:47:11.

it is an optimistic analysis. The key thing that we need to understand

:47:12.:47:17.

as legislators is that the European Union, the UK did not have a

:47:18.:47:23.

submission. Europe did. Europe apostle exhibition was to reduce

:47:24.:47:31.

carbon emissions by 40% the UK is part of that, so therefore complicit

:47:32.:47:34.

and that is what we had to do as well. And yet, our commitment could

:47:35.:47:38.

we have legislated for it in this house is to reduce emissions by... I

:47:39.:47:45.

think the honourable gentleman for giving way. I know that he is

:47:46.:47:49.

talking about individual submissions and European wide emissions.

:47:50.:47:59.

The former acute problem that this government has is about the problem

:48:00.:48:06.

of Chinese dumping. That is a far more serious issue than anything

:48:07.:48:13.

coming out of the European Union. I agree that Chinese dumping is at

:48:14.:48:16.

issue. I agree that the business grades are an issue, but I think

:48:17.:48:19.

that he is wrong if he says that energy prices are not also an issue.

:48:20.:48:24.

He is wrong to say that. One of the pieces of evidence of that being

:48:25.:48:28.

wrong isn't the steel industry in the aluminium industry is not under

:48:29.:48:33.

such pressure in parts of Europe as it is under here. He will be

:48:34.:48:40.

contradicting the comments from others where the two primary issues

:48:41.:48:50.

pertaining... And Chinese dumping. I am sure that he's going to get back

:48:51.:48:54.

to the point as it relates to EU ET as, but that is the primary concern

:48:55.:49:00.

from the industry itself. I think that his position is an often,

:49:01.:49:04.

because I immigrate with them that the MES data has stated that

:49:05.:49:13.

something is important. I have in my office a report from the aluminium

:49:14.:49:19.

industry. It is the prices. This is not a massively controversial point,

:49:20.:49:24.

I didn't think, if you are in an industry which uses a significant

:49:25.:49:27.

amount of electricity it is not a competitive advantage if you if it

:49:28.:49:34.

costs more than other people. Tony something is a more significant

:49:35.:49:37.

thing, I agree with that, but we are talking about economics. -- Chinese

:49:38.:49:47.

dumping. That happens at the margin. If we are intended to have a marked

:49:48.:49:53.

the makers predicated on high electricity prices, it is going to

:49:54.:49:58.

be tough. I was talking about the parents I in DC emissions, I wanted

:49:59.:50:07.

to say that the cost submission for that is something like 50% less

:50:08.:50:12.

onerous than our own climate change act. When I first saw that I thought

:50:13.:50:18.

it was on. I did not understand why that would be. Why was it? Had to be

:50:19.:50:26.

a light allow that to happen? We have this stringent, rigorous, good

:50:27.:50:31.

process in many ways of carbon budget starting down and missions in

:50:32.:50:35.

all that was about. And yet, we go into the European submission INDC

:50:36.:50:43.

for something so feeble. The difficulty is that even the

:50:44.:50:52.

submission to the Europeans put in, even though it is so much lower than

:50:53.:50:57.

the UK submission is not allocated by countries. That process starting

:50:58.:51:04.

this year, or maybe next year. It seems to me to be very feeble. The

:51:05.:51:09.

second thing is the European emissions trading system in the

:51:10.:51:15.

first place. Reason that New Clause ten has been deemed necessary is

:51:16.:51:23.

because it is felt that this is not enough for carbon emissions. The

:51:24.:51:26.

price of carbon that is implicit within that is too low, something

:51:27.:51:32.

like 5 euros a time versus something like 23 euros a tonne. In 2013, they

:51:33.:51:40.

debated this part in the European Parliament. There was a proposal for

:51:41.:51:44.

the European Parliament to actually Paris based like the EU emission

:51:45.:51:51.

trading system in a way that would be meaningful, and prevented the

:51:52.:51:54.

need for a carbon price for in the UK. That properly reflected where

:51:55.:52:01.

the market needs to be in order to drive actions, which is why this

:52:02.:52:08.

amendment has come for. The European Parliament did not put that

:52:09.:52:11.

commitment through, and I think that it does not put food in his funds to

:52:12.:52:18.

vested in interest. I think that that is a pity. The consequence of

:52:19.:52:23.

that is that we are here now. Saying that this emissions trading system

:52:24.:52:31.

is not fit for purpose. It was intended in the climate change act

:52:32.:52:36.

of being a way of controlling generated power, it doesn't work.

:52:37.:52:40.

The urgings of indifferent. Our answer is not to turn our back. The

:52:41.:52:53.

parties on the other side, those of the deeply committed to the European

:52:54.:52:59.

ideal. This is odd that they are turning their back on this European

:53:00.:53:03.

solution. In the time-outs remaining for me, -- time dots. I find that

:53:04.:53:17.

odd. The third is to talk about that is country based controlling. Since

:53:18.:53:23.

1990, Austria has increased their emissions. Ireland has increased by

:53:24.:53:31.

some number as well. If an organisation such as the eat you

:53:32.:53:34.

were serious about getting to grips with admissions -- EQ. -- EU. We are

:53:35.:53:49.

seeing dysfunctional member state behaviour in terms of certain

:53:50.:53:55.

countries building new coal power stations at Germain:

:53:56.:54:09.

that is not indicative of the book to understand the counsellor has to

:54:10.:54:15.

come and all of this. Mr Deputy Speaker, I have a node that has come

:54:16.:54:22.

to me saying to wrap up. -- note. I would just finish by saying that it

:54:23.:54:27.

is not a question of agreeing that climate change is a clear and

:54:28.:54:30.

present danger, but we must bring the rest of the world with us. By

:54:31.:54:35.

turning our back on things at the European ETF system, that is doing

:54:36.:54:40.

the opposite of that. By allowing the EU to put a submission into the

:54:41.:54:46.

Paris that was feeble, we are turning our back. We are not going

:54:47.:54:52.

to solve global warming by fixing our 1.5% of total global emissions.

:54:53.:55:02.

I rise to move a number of new clauses that relates to a number of

:55:03.:55:04.

aspects of this bill. Starting with New Clause seven,

:55:05.:55:21.

which we are moving this afternoon. Honourable members will see that it

:55:22.:55:24.

is based similar to New Clause three and moved by the honourable member

:55:25.:55:29.

for Aberdeen South. It is a Clause that I think that both opposition

:55:30.:55:35.

parties today feel very strongly about in terms of the need to

:55:36.:55:41.

develop a systematic strategy for carbon capture and storage, which we

:55:42.:55:46.

do not have at present. We heard to today several things. The government

:55:47.:55:58.

reference carbon capture and the least cost routeing decarbonization.

:55:59.:56:02.

They will clearly, surgically, according the advice of the

:56:03.:56:05.

committee has to do think carefully about this. Since CCS and other

:56:06.:56:16.

things suggest implementations of least cost. Indeed, a shameful

:56:17.:56:25.

pulley of the two CCS pilot projects mentioned by the honourable member

:56:26.:56:31.

for Aberdeen South, in essence represents a missed investment

:56:32.:56:40.

opportunity. That cost is an important moment of our approach to

:56:41.:56:43.

a future CCS strategy. It is important to be clear that the

:56:44.:56:47.

cancellation of the project is not mean the end of the CCS. We will

:56:48.:56:53.

have to bring about large scale CCS sooner than a number of people

:56:54.:57:02.

consider. That is especially true because CCS relates not only to

:57:03.:57:07.

energy production, but too energy intensive industries and other

:57:08.:57:11.

intensive carpet industry. The cancellation of CCS pilots is that

:57:12.:57:16.

we would have to importing technology from the rest of the

:57:17.:57:19.

world instead of having leading technology have the pilot gives

:57:20.:57:20.

Ghana had. I agree with him. Ten he tell me how

:57:21.:57:31.

likely do think it will be that any private money is ever going be

:57:32.:57:35.

forthcoming, given the rational manner in which the funding to

:57:36.:57:42.

projects were abandoned? The honourable member makes an important

:57:43.:57:47.

point, and indeed, the need to have a carbon capture strategy, which

:57:48.:57:50.

actually sets out a longer-term route to how we go about carbon

:57:51.:57:56.

capture and storage, would be an important part of that process. The

:57:57.:58:05.

honourable member also makes the point that indeed, the cancellation

:58:06.:58:10.

of this pilot projects has caused quite a pullover, future and the

:58:11.:58:14.

stability of carbon capture and storage projects in the future,

:58:15.:58:18.

which is despite the fact that they are now getting under way across the

:58:19.:58:24.

world. So, it is important to reflect on how in a new CCS strategy

:58:25.:58:30.

we are to import that technology, and how as much as possible the rest

:58:31.:58:33.

of the supply chain stay in the UK, in particular, substantial

:58:34.:58:38.

development and intellectual property gained from those projects,

:58:39.:58:42.

the White Rose and other projects, must be retained in the UK, for the

:58:43.:58:46.

use of CCF developments. All that should be part of a strategy that we

:58:47.:58:51.

simply do not have at the moment. Having a strategy in place would

:58:52.:58:55.

enable us to recover substantially from the event setback caused by the

:58:56.:58:59.

cancellation of those pilot projects in the amendment calls for such a

:59:00.:59:03.

strategy to be articulated in the early stage, and for us to be clear

:59:04.:59:08.

between ourselves about how exactly and why we're keeping CCF on track

:59:09.:59:12.

for the future. New Clause eight, we have also heard about, it relates to

:59:13.:59:21.

the undertakings that won't provided in part one of the energy act, 2013,

:59:22.:59:28.

about setting a target for decarbonization by 2030. Part one of

:59:29.:59:32.

the act makes it clear that the Secretary of State has... Is no

:59:33.:59:40.

greater than the maximum admitted level of the decarbonization target

:59:41.:59:45.

rate. That is a clear undertaking to set a decarbonization target range,

:59:46.:59:47.

requiring Secretary of State to take related actions. As I mentioned, the

:59:48.:59:54.

target is already there, and has been there since the end of 2013,

:59:55.:00:03.

and it was passed... But what the target range it should be, and under

:00:04.:00:07.

the legislation, it is a to ministers to clear up that matter.

:00:08.:00:12.

One may say it is not a small matter since it is within the gift of

:00:13.:00:15.

ministers to decide whether the target for decarbonization as strong

:00:16.:00:20.

or not. During the discussions that took place during the process of

:00:21.:00:24.

that legislation, the energy act of 2013, members across the committee

:00:25.:00:29.

envisaged that the target should be strong and aligned with carbon

:00:30.:00:33.

production contribution. Unfortunately during the passage of

:00:34.:00:36.

this bill, and another place, we heard in a letter to the opposition

:00:37.:00:42.

from the Minister that he stated powers taken within the energy act

:00:43.:00:46.

2013, which is the Secretary of State the ability to set a

:00:47.:00:49.

decarbonization target range from the electricity sector for your, not

:00:50.:00:53.

before 2030. This allows a target to be set on the same date after the

:00:54.:00:58.

fifth carbon budget, which must be set up for the end of June 20 16.

:00:59.:01:05.

Measured... Is the and intention this government is not exercise his

:01:06.:01:09.

power. This position is consistent with our manifesto pledge not to

:01:10.:01:13.

support additional distorting and expensive power sector targets. This

:01:14.:01:17.

is not an additional distorting target. It is a target within the

:01:18.:01:25.

bill, 2013, and indeed, it is clearly incumbent on the government

:01:26.:01:28.

to take action on the decarbonization target range to the

:01:29.:01:31.

Secretary of legislation, and it is extremely disappointing that the

:01:32.:01:35.

Minister indicated that they were not going to exercise this power.

:01:36.:01:41.

The New Clause would provide the Secretary of State and said

:01:42.:01:44.

decarbonization target, and should discharge section one of the 2013

:01:45.:01:50.

act. This is, and I think honourable members would agree, very important,

:01:51.:01:58.

such targets... That is what the amendment seeks to do. New Clause

:01:59.:02:02.

nine addresses an aspect of the de-carbonized future, and looking at

:02:03.:02:07.

the perverse result of the first to capacity auctions in procuring and

:02:08.:02:18.

indeed not procuring any long-term new large generating plant. And

:02:19.:02:25.

procuring almost the only long-term outcome of diesel's generators.

:02:26.:02:31.

Gigawatts of generators procured, more polluting than coal, which the

:02:32.:02:37.

secretary has said to take up the system by 2025. The New Clause adds

:02:38.:02:41.

to the energy act of 2013, relating to fossil fuels, which... That plant

:02:42.:02:48.

must adhere to certain conditions, if the contract is to be granted.

:02:49.:02:53.

One of those conditions the emissions performance standard, and

:02:54.:02:56.

section 57 of the energy act, and content to target or a formula that

:02:57.:03:01.

Undersecretary -- subsequent legislation, it set grams, and this

:03:02.:03:08.

Clause clearly doesn't not seek to capture gas, because new plans for

:03:09.:03:13.

gas come in at something like 370 grams, and that emissions

:03:14.:03:17.

performance standard. What this New Clause refers to is diesel coming

:03:18.:03:24.

into the provision of electricity, particularly in the context of what

:03:25.:03:28.

is happened in those two previous capacity auctions. Those diesel

:03:29.:03:34.

act... Bare below the size which could pass court, but they are the

:03:35.:03:44.

most dirty, of various energy generation devices. Because diesel

:03:45.:03:49.

is exempt from EPS levels, because of the individual size of the

:03:50.:03:52.

reciprocal dating sector, it is curious that we have obtained a

:03:53.:03:55.

substantial proportion of long-term capacity payments coming into the

:03:56.:03:58.

system, and of course, one reason that diesel sectors have been able

:03:59.:04:02.

to get to capacity auctions is not because diesel sector is particular

:04:03.:04:06.

cheap to run, it is in part because we would receive a substantial

:04:07.:04:10.

underwriting until recently, from HM Treasury, through the enterprise

:04:11.:04:13.

investment scheme. Payments for the establishment of this plane,

:04:14.:04:16.

originally, it appears that the payments of sector... But of course,

:04:17.:04:23.

they have been used for other purposes in the capacity auctions.

:04:24.:04:25.

Although that group has been changed in the Autumn Statement, the most

:04:26.:04:29.

polluting generating plants have managed to get to lots of subsidies

:04:30.:04:33.

for generating and cutting through the capacity auction process as

:04:34.:04:36.

well. That is not only that climate policy, but bad public policy in

:04:37.:04:41.

general. It was discussed during the committee stages of the bill, and

:04:42.:04:44.

the government recent Lee made a statement on changes to the capacity

:04:45.:04:51.

auctions and although as they suggested the proposals to change

:04:52.:04:54.

the air quality regulations under the large plant directive that might

:04:55.:04:57.

include diesel sex, they suggested these changes might not occur until

:04:58.:05:02.

2019 at the earliest. Too late for the next series of capacity

:05:03.:05:06.

auctions. This amendment, New Clause, seeks the straightforward

:05:07.:05:10.

route to make sure that diesel is not the perverse diesel it is now.

:05:11.:05:14.

New Clause ten looks further towards the Fed carbon budget, but perhaps

:05:15.:05:19.

no much for... Would have to do for -- decide on the carbon budget, it

:05:20.:05:24.

seeks to strengthen the intention of the government to use its powers to

:05:25.:05:27.

ensure we keep on track, and by outlawing the use of private trader

:05:28.:05:32.

sector credits, and the Honorable member for Morgan made some very

:05:33.:05:37.

valuable points in the process discussing this New Clause ten for

:05:38.:05:41.

the future. Honorable members will recall that when the bill arrived in

:05:42.:05:44.

the House from the other place, it had a net Clause 80 of the energy

:05:45.:05:49.

bill seeking to simple by the count in the UK's carbon budget under the

:05:50.:05:55.

2008 Clause, which was removed during the passage of the building

:05:56.:05:58.

to committee stage. This Clause seeks a different route, of more

:05:59.:06:02.

effective carbon accounting in the fifth carbon budget, and beyond. It

:06:03.:06:09.

seeks to make the government directly accountable for emissions

:06:10.:06:12.

in the sectors covered by the EU emissions trading scheme, by

:06:13.:06:15.

determining whether the UK is staying within it's not sure carbon

:06:16.:06:20.

budgets. The EU BTS covers admissions and the electricity

:06:21.:06:22.

sector, and currently the accounting regulations another -- allow the

:06:23.:06:27.

government to ignore these, when determining whether the carbon

:06:28.:06:31.

budgets have been met. As currently designed, the UK carbon budgets

:06:32.:06:34.

failed to provide a framework with all this investor confidence in the

:06:35.:06:39.

UK for that reason, in particular, there is no assurance that the

:06:40.:06:42.

government will do the necessary measures in place to ensure that the

:06:43.:06:45.

power sector is larger and de-carbonized by 2030. To the fact

:06:46.:06:49.

that the cover change committee has repeatedly indicated that the power

:06:50.:06:56.

sector must reduce emissions by 2030 in order to maintain the cost

:06:57.:06:59.

effective trajectory to our 2050 climate target. If those rules

:07:00.:07:05.

change, the committee has indicated... For the first time

:07:06.:07:11.

ever, the committee will be able to recommend a budget, that reflects

:07:12.:07:14.

the cost-effective pathway of UK omissions economy wide. Animation,

:07:15.:07:22.

this differ from the original Clause, and a very cocky respect,

:07:23.:07:27.

and that is while Clause prevented any carbon units in the EU trading

:07:28.:07:31.

scheme for affecting the UK carbon account, this new amendment

:07:32.:07:34.

specifically prevents the carbon trading behaviour of private firms,

:07:35.:07:40.

from affecting the national Council. This is the issue that currently

:07:41.:07:43.

allows the government to ignore it omissions in the sector under this

:07:44.:07:48.

new amendment, which would obtain the option of counselling carbon

:07:49.:07:54.

allowances to offset them at a state level. This offsetting option would

:07:55.:08:06.

also of course strengthen the issue in the EU commissions trading

:08:07.:08:11.

scheme, if exercise. Finally, Mr Deputy Speaker, amendment 47 which I

:08:12.:08:19.

am moving to today, reminds us of the first part of our bill, where

:08:20.:08:23.

there is wide consensus for change, as far as North Sea oil is

:08:24.:08:31.

concerned, it seeks to gives -- give the office new oversight to ensure

:08:32.:08:35.

that decommissioning is used to the best advantage in the North Sea, and

:08:36.:08:39.

is not operate in the interest of those who might be involved in

:08:40.:08:43.

commissioning, but in the long-term interests of the cooperative use of

:08:44.:08:49.

infrastructures. On... For the benefit of production, not only a

:08:50.:08:53.

future more marginal filter for the next period, but also possibly for

:08:54.:08:58.

the future use of the North Sea, as one of the world's finest

:08:59.:09:02.

repositories, for carbon capture and storage is under way, it is an

:09:03.:09:05.

amendment that would be very important to add to the arsenal of

:09:06.:09:11.

the office for oil and gas and I hope the Minister will be forward in

:09:12.:09:18.

accepting that. Ed Miliband. I rise to speak to the news Clause 11,

:09:19.:09:26.

which stands in my name, and another friend, and that another five

:09:27.:09:30.

parties across the South, in order to thank the Honorable mumbles Fort

:09:31.:09:35.

lawn still, Brighton Pavilion, and essentials of it, and North Ipswich,

:09:36.:09:42.

and I also want to thank my front bench and also Baroness Worthington

:09:43.:09:46.

and the other place that has supported advice on this issue. Mr

:09:47.:09:51.

Deputy Speaker, this New Clause will put the commitment in the Paris

:09:52.:09:54.

climate change equipment 20 omissions, and to our domestic law.

:09:55.:09:58.

But the climate change committee to advise when it should be achieved. I

:09:59.:10:02.

believe this is a right thing to do, because of what the signs -- science

:10:03.:10:08.

tells us. Science is clear that we will need to get 20 omissions as the

:10:09.:10:14.

world early in the second half of this century. It is worth saying Mr

:10:15.:10:18.

Deputy Speaker, in the context of the sites to remind the House that

:10:19.:10:23.

the context of this debate is. Just a few facts about what we know from

:10:24.:10:30.

recent scientific analysis, that 2015 was the hottest year on record.

:10:31.:10:36.

That each of the last five months, the record for global temperatures

:10:37.:10:40.

has been broken in every month with February being an awful

:10:41.:10:46.

record-breaker, and then this other fact Mr Deputy Speaker, that

:10:47.:10:50.

atmospheric concentrations of CO2, and it is hard to get your head

:10:51.:10:54.

around this, are now higher than they have been for at least 1

:10:55.:10:58.

million years. Because that is what the scientists tell us. That is the

:10:59.:11:02.

sense of urgency that I think we should have about this issue. I know

:11:03.:11:07.

that is shared on all sides of the House. My proposal makes economic

:11:08.:11:13.

moral, and political sense. It makes economic sense because you have to

:11:14.:11:18.

get to zero omissions eventually. Since we know it will be tough, we

:11:19.:11:23.

need to start planning now. We already know some of the tools that

:11:24.:11:28.

we will need. We do not know all of them, but we need clean energy

:11:29.:11:31.

supplies, we need a revolution in the House -- housing sector. We

:11:32.:11:39.

need... We need carbon capture and storage, so we can trap any

:11:40.:11:44.

omissions, and we will need reforestation, and will lead other

:11:45.:11:47.

technologies in the early stages of development. Here's the crucial

:11:48.:11:51.

point, Mr Deputy Speaker. We need to start the work now, so we can make

:11:52.:11:56.

zero happened at least cost. I believe the economic case is proven

:11:57.:12:01.

by the support we have in the business community for this

:12:02.:12:06.

proposal. I went to pick up event, cantilever, Kingfisher, and the

:12:07.:12:10.

broader business Coalition for their backing. It makes economic sense. I

:12:11.:12:14.

believe it makes moral sense as well, because we know zero omissions

:12:15.:12:20.

will be necessary. It will be frankly irresponsible to pretend it

:12:21.:12:23.

is not. I think future generations will look very badly on a generation

:12:24.:12:28.

that stuck its head in the sand, and refuse to plan ahead. And, Mr Deputy

:12:29.:12:34.

Speaker, and makes political sense as well. Because, we were all very

:12:35.:12:40.

pleased by the Paris agreement, and I say that is shared on all sides of

:12:41.:12:44.

the House, but the danger is that we lose momentum and go backwards.

:12:45.:12:48.

There are straws that this may happen. We need to build on the

:12:49.:12:52.

momentum and not wander. I want you to close the gap, and this is where

:12:53.:12:55.

the honourable gentleman is right. We need to close the gap between the

:12:56.:12:59.

ambitions of Paris to keep warming to know more than 155 degrees, and

:13:00.:13:05.

the reality of the current pledges, which are off-track. Now, here's the

:13:06.:13:09.

other thing to say to all members of this house. We can make a

:13:10.:13:15.

difference. We maybe able only 1.5% of global omissions, but look at the

:13:16.:13:19.

experience of the climate change. That is what the Honorable gentleman

:13:20.:13:22.

and I discussed outside of the House, look at the spirit of the

:13:23.:13:27.

climate change act. I party support in to one -- 2008. It did push

:13:28.:13:33.

others to follow. Not maybe as much as we wanted, but it did push others

:13:34.:13:36.

to follow. I just want to make one point to the honourable gentleman he

:13:37.:13:40.

speaks to this what national party. He's right of course about the

:13:41.:13:44.

short-term. And we need to get the short-term right, but the long-term

:13:45.:13:49.

effects and short-term effects. Just like the 80% target that we put in

:13:50.:13:56.

to -- 2008, if you'd like to show discussions, of all parties, to

:13:57.:14:00.

account, so it would be the case of a put zero omissions and we know

:14:01.:14:05.

that will have to be the backstop, my cases that we might as well get

:14:06.:14:12.

on with it. I will give way. Thank you. I have enormous respect for my

:14:13.:14:18.

honourable member, and I applaud your positive steps and everything

:14:19.:14:21.

that happened at the climate change act, but we do have to be

:14:22.:14:25.

economically realistic as well. I do wonder whether this is the right

:14:26.:14:30.

time, and this might be better go to climate change committee to have a

:14:31.:14:33.

closer look at this, because we are in the process of agreeing the fifth

:14:34.:14:36.

carbon budget, and perhaps all energy would be put into that. At

:14:37.:14:41.

the end of her point makes a case I agree with. Which is that my

:14:42.:14:45.

proposal is deliberately pragmatic. It is to put zero omissions into

:14:46.:14:50.

law, but the date to be decided by government on the basis of advice

:14:51.:14:53.

from climate change committee, and I think that is the right, pragmatic,

:14:54.:14:58.

and least cost way of proceeding, because we need the advice of the

:14:59.:15:02.

experts in who appointed them with cross party support, and we need to

:15:03.:15:07.

get them to advise us. Mr Deputy Speaker, since I put forward this

:15:08.:15:12.

proposal three months ago, I'm delighted to say that very

:15:13.:15:15.

constructive discussions with the government. I'm not going to

:15:16.:15:18.

anticipate the reaction of the Minister of which you want at this

:15:19.:15:22.

debate. I do want to put on record my thanks to Secretary of State, to

:15:23.:15:26.

the Minister, and indeed the Minister of the Cabinet office for

:15:27.:15:29.

their willingness to engage with me this issue. I do believe, and very

:15:30.:15:35.

much hope that we can move this idea forward in the months ahead. I think

:15:36.:15:39.

we can demonstrate once again the cross party commitment for this

:15:40.:15:43.

shared, by the vast majority members of this house, to tackle the threat

:15:44.:15:47.

of climate change, and I look forward to the Minister's responded

:15:48.:15:57.

her report. -- response. I have new clauses, eight, six, and five. They

:15:58.:16:04.

are covered by other new clauses before the House. It is not my

:16:05.:16:09.

intention to go to a division, because we lead in the direction.

:16:10.:16:19.

With the question of carbon capture, I intervened on the envelope --

:16:20.:16:24.

honourable gentleman speaking, the term that I'd used in relation to

:16:25.:16:27.

the government's decision to pull the funding from projects was

:16:28.:16:34.

rational. I hope I was not kind to the government in saying that, if it

:16:35.:16:39.

wasn't irrational, that must've been ideological, in any event, it

:16:40.:16:44.

certainly did not make any sense. That was a competition that was

:16:45.:16:47.

running, and the point of which we withdrew the funding, and the

:16:48.:16:51.

competition to run for a little bit competition to run for a little bit

:16:52.:16:57.

longer, who knows, that debt to the conclusion that would be no more

:16:58.:17:01.

money to be spent. The truth of the matter is that we'll never know. Was

:17:02.:17:06.

irrational, because of the impact it will have for the future. When it

:17:07.:17:14.

comes to getting your own carbon capture and storage industry up and

:17:15.:17:19.

running in this country. As the honourable gentleman from the

:17:20.:17:23.

opposition said, this is something where work is being done, and

:17:24.:17:28.

inevitably you will not end up playing catch-up and importing

:17:29.:17:34.

expertise but could've generated here. Who is going to be responsible

:17:35.:17:43.

for shareholders? Who's going to suggest that you put money into

:17:44.:17:48.

carbon capture and storage in this country in the future? Is the

:17:49.:17:52.

ultimate failure of every policy. I think we have got to the point that

:17:53.:18:00.

not understanding the terms of the amendments and the new clauses, I

:18:01.:18:04.

frankly wonder whether it is now worth calling for, because in fact,

:18:05.:18:11.

even if you had new government commitment, who on earth is going to

:18:12.:18:14.

believe that given the weight that they have believed thus far? The

:18:15.:18:19.

honourable member from Aberdeen South made that point that it is a

:18:20.:18:23.

synergy between carbon capture and storage, and the issues around

:18:24.:18:28.

decommissioning in the North Sea. It is of course, the case for some

:18:29.:18:32.

years now that the technology that is used in carbon capturing and

:18:33.:18:43.

storage... Using gas to extract oil from other parts of the existing

:18:44.:18:49.

substantial infrastructure that is there. It brightens my heart that

:18:50.:18:56.

the OG goes from strength to strength, and it is a project I have

:18:57.:19:00.

followed closely, from its inception from the work of the word

:19:01.:19:08.

commission, and into the shadow authority. In order to get the

:19:09.:19:13.

maximum benefit for that, it will of course be necessary for the budget

:19:14.:19:16.

to get on now, use the powers that we have given them already, and to

:19:17.:19:22.

come forward with the strategy, it is going to be making these things

:19:23.:19:27.

happen. Of course, in order for there to be a strategy, the bill has

:19:28.:19:33.

to be survivable. The very real danger is that because of the age of

:19:34.:19:39.

the assets on the North Sea, especially in the north North Sea,

:19:40.:19:47.

we could see critical mass tip over and, not literally, and for them to

:19:48.:19:57.

be rushed to decommission. That rushed to decommission could be

:19:58.:20:03.

back, for the economy, and the northern Wales. It would be tragic

:20:04.:20:10.

also, if that decommissioning means the infrastructure was removed,

:20:11.:20:13.

which means that the opportunities to develop carbon capturing and

:20:14.:20:24.

storage will need to be lost. I will give way. The point I made about the

:20:25.:20:32.

large part of the tax liability for decommissioning following the

:20:33.:20:34.

Treasury in terms of paying the back, if there is that rushed to

:20:35.:20:38.

decommissioning, as he is mentioned, it will mean that the Chancellor

:20:39.:20:40.

will find it more difficult to meet its fiscal target, as he has to hand

:20:41.:20:44.

out cash. Will he agree that there needs to be government to delay that

:20:45.:20:51.

happening? We have seen tap input from the North Sea fall off a cliff,

:20:52.:20:56.

and if it doesn't now follow this, I cannot remember the figures exactly,

:20:57.:20:59.

but I seem to recall that there was something in the region of ?20

:21:00.:21:04.

billion, set aside to provide for. That is the future of liar --

:21:05.:21:10.

liability. If the liability work to come to the left of the sheet, then

:21:11.:21:17.

it would be the double whammy for the Treasury. Not only losing the

:21:18.:21:23.

incumbent, but suddenly liable for a expenditure at an earlier stage. In

:21:24.:21:28.

fact, the real significant event in that regard would feel it is not

:21:29.:21:33.

here tonight, it will be Wednesday when the Chancellor comes forward

:21:34.:21:38.

with his budget. The Minister in the Secretary of State will have also

:21:39.:21:43.

heard that the measured and well-thought-out requests come from

:21:44.:21:47.

oil and gas UK, and I trust that even at this stage, they will be

:21:48.:21:52.

using them for every piece of influence they have to ensure that

:21:53.:21:58.

as much as -- of these requests are actually delivered, when the

:21:59.:22:03.

Chancellor stands up. The right honourable gentleman moved who stood

:22:04.:22:10.

close bloated voodoo Vicky is absolutely right and has brought

:22:11.:22:16.

this forward. This is future proof, if you like, of the commitments, but

:22:17.:22:21.

indeed, given the very substantial commitment to the Secretary of state

:22:22.:22:25.

herself showed in relation to the House negotiations, I think that

:22:26.:22:31.

this would be a very suitable way in which that commitment was given some

:22:32.:22:42.

lived by this house. Thank you very much, Mr Speaker. I want to speak

:22:43.:22:45.

mainly to New Clause 12, which stands in my name on the need for

:22:46.:22:50.

strategy for a just transition away from fossil fuels and towards 100%

:22:51.:22:54.

renewable energy. I also want to highlight a few of the other

:22:55.:22:58.

amendments that I support, and this particular bill. I want to speak in

:22:59.:23:03.

favour of New Clause 11, tabled by the former secretary of state, and

:23:04.:23:07.

thank you very much for all of the very constructive work that he has

:23:08.:23:16.

been doing in terms of promoting this idea about zero omissions. This

:23:17.:23:18.

puts one really crucial part of the Paris climate agreement into UK law.

:23:19.:23:21.

It is not convoluted, it doesn't make it clear that globally, it must

:23:22.:23:24.

meet net zero omissions in the second half of the century. Many

:23:25.:23:28.

argue that this long-term goal should have been stronger, including

:23:29.:23:32.

through a specific reference to phasing out fossil fuels.

:23:33.:23:34.

Nonetheless, it seems immensely reasonable for the UK government to

:23:35.:23:37.

set the date for zero omissions, on the advice from the committee on

:23:38.:23:42.

climate change. Very much to seem a win-win here, economically and

:23:43.:23:46.

environmentally to have that date set, so that we can have a clarity

:23:47.:23:50.

of direction of travail, and investors. -- travel. I look forward

:23:51.:24:01.

to hearing the response when they come to speak later on. Just a few

:24:02.:24:06.

words as well, Mr Speaker, about New Clause ten, or carbon accounting,

:24:07.:24:11.

and the ET as. Again, I support this amendment, it would meet the UK

:24:12.:24:14.

taking responsibility for making our own carbon emission cuts, and

:24:15.:24:19.

another immensely reasonable proposal. I think the need for that

:24:20.:24:23.

kind of change is undermined by the recent, somewhat incredible claims

:24:24.:24:26.

that a new dash for gas would somehow be compatible... The UK's

:24:27.:24:35.

energy potential is vast. The cost of solar and wind power is falling,

:24:36.:24:39.

and the need for the vast majority of fossil fuel reserves to get more

:24:40.:24:43.

mainstream by the week. There is no longer a case for using the EU

:24:44.:24:46.

emissions trading system as an excuse for not meeting our own

:24:47.:24:49.

carbon budgets by cutting our own omissions here in the UK. The global

:24:50.:24:54.

carbon budget is rapidly shrinking, and there's simply no room for free

:24:55.:24:57.

riders. Adding the UK should be leading the race to a zero carbon

:24:58.:25:04.

economy, not weaseling our way out of making a fair contribution. And

:25:05.:25:07.

that is why New Clause ten is so important. Turning now to my New

:25:08.:25:10.

Clause 12 on a just transition, this is another aspect of the Paris

:25:11.:25:14.

climate agreement that should become a central tenant of the UK's climate

:25:15.:25:19.

and energy policy. Just transition is about essential steps a country

:25:20.:25:23.

needs to take to transform into a zero carbon economy. In a way that

:25:24.:25:27.

creates new jobs, and by supporting and engaging workers and communities

:25:28.:25:30.

currently reliant on high carbon sectors. I will give way. I'm

:25:31.:25:34.

thankful for giving way. They should think that the German strategy, I

:25:35.:25:39.

think I pronounced it correctly, offers a way forward for the UK?

:25:40.:25:46.

Fossil fuels to renewable energy? Thank you for his intervention,

:25:47.:25:49.

added to agree with them. That doesn't point to a very helpful

:25:50.:25:56.

direction of travel. As you would expect, -- does. At the EU, and

:25:57.:26:03.

globally. During the Paris climate talks, unions made an incredibly

:26:04.:26:07.

powerful case for stronger ambition, and faster action to cut a mission

:26:08.:26:11.

and make this transition away from fossil fuels. Central to that is the

:26:12.:26:17.

huge opportunity for job creation in new low carbon industries. I spoke a

:26:18.:26:21.

moment ago about win-win, it should be a win win win, because of the

:26:22.:26:26.

jobs as well as the economy, and advantages, because of a clear

:26:27.:26:30.

direction for this transition. The European trade Union Federation

:26:31.:26:36.

representing 90 trade unions firms 39 countries was really vocal on

:26:37.:26:43.

this issue. As... In a way that benefits the whole of society and is

:26:44.:26:48.

not simply pile B costs on the most privileged. They define the elements

:26:49.:26:51.

of this, some of which are incorporated into my memory, in

:26:52.:26:56.

terms of participation, because consistent and strong worker

:26:57.:27:00.

participation is essential, so that a change can be managed in a

:27:01.:27:01.

socially acceptable way. This is not about whether the embark

:27:02.:27:18.

on a transition, it is about a proactive approach to ensure that

:27:19.:27:22.

that transition happens in a way that protects, maintained, and

:27:23.:27:24.

creates decent jobs and wages. Its looks at what this means in

:27:25.:27:30.

practice. Essentially a government led active, education, training and

:27:31.:27:37.

skills policy. A social safety net through active Labor market

:27:38.:27:41.

policies, strong social support production and measures. There is no

:27:42.:27:44.

lack of clarity on what this might look like. At the minute, but is

:27:45.:27:54.

sadly lacking is an inclusive plan of action. Thanks to the effort of

:27:55.:28:02.

trade unions, the... This commitment needs to be delivered in a

:28:03.:28:05.

meaningful way, otherwise it is just words on paper. I think that the

:28:06.:28:08.

same is urgent and needed in the UK. Although we will also need a first

:28:09.:28:11.

step. That is the commitment to the principle of the transition as well.

:28:12.:28:15.

Because what I described here is fairly straightforward, I hope that

:28:16.:28:21.

the government can support at part of my amendment. My New Clause 12

:28:22.:28:26.

also requires the Secretary of state to be clearer about the existing

:28:27.:28:31.

reserves that should remain unexploited. The energy minister

:28:32.:28:38.

insert a peek you in a a few months ago saying that the international

:28:39.:28:44.

agency has suggested that around a third of them are available under 2

:28:45.:28:53.

degrees scenario I would be really grateful at the department could get

:28:54.:28:57.

an up-to-date figure globally and for the UK so that we have a bit

:28:58.:29:02.

more clarity on that. New research found globally that 82% of fossil

:29:03.:29:07.

fool reserves must be left underground. Of course, Mark Carney

:29:08.:29:13.

has also recently been warning that the vast majority of fossil fuels

:29:14.:29:18.

are essentially unprintable. The government, as we know high sign-up

:29:19.:29:21.

to the Paris agreement which goes even further, especially the 1.5

:29:22.:29:26.

degrees goal. As delegates and pairs heard, that is essentially the

:29:27.:29:29.

balance between life and death for many citizens and poorer countries

:29:30.:29:32.

that are the most vulnerable impacts -- to the impacts of of climate

:29:33.:29:40.

change. We needed up to date change and concrete policies. My New Clause

:29:41.:29:45.

also requires the government to redirect to alternatives. It seems

:29:46.:29:53.

to have a particular meaning only to energy circles. This meaning, allows

:29:54.:29:57.

them to claim that they don't have any subsidies. By using any other

:29:58.:30:02.

definition, the WTO does this is clearly a nonsense. For example,...

:30:03.:30:15.

That is almost twice the financial support and provides renewable

:30:16.:30:17.

energy providers and that urgently needs to change. The barriers to

:30:18.:30:22.

100% renewable energy aren't about technology or money, they are about

:30:23.:30:26.

political will and vested interest. Those who argued against hundred

:30:27.:30:29.

percent renewable energy seem to think that they are the only people

:30:30.:30:33.

who are clever enough to notice that the wind is not always below where

:30:34.:30:36.

the sender as object. They are not. They need to get up to speed with

:30:37.:30:40.

21st century innovation and technology. For example, why is the

:30:41.:30:45.

UK doing so little on energy stores, efficiency, and demand side

:30:46.:30:48.

response. These are proximal Dunn are practical ways to meet peak

:30:49.:30:53.

demand, rather than the back demand. During the climate talks 43

:30:54.:31:04.

companies issued an action. This is a joint statement from a CEOs

:31:05.:31:13.

calling for 100% renewables by 2050 and an urgent and imprison

:31:14.:31:17.

anti-fossil fuel subsidies. Those are the government needs to be

:31:18.:31:22.

distinctive. They also need to be listening to leading academics. Last

:31:23.:31:26.

year, Stanford University laid out a road map. Is that the world can

:31:27.:31:37.

reach 80% by 2030, and 100% by 2050 with no negative impact on economic

:31:38.:31:43.

growth. A last September from them in had the UK can get 80% of its

:31:44.:31:51.

renewables by 2030. Even if that were not the case, the sensible

:31:52.:31:54.

course of action is meant to turn our back, it would be to invest in

:31:55.:31:58.

the RAD to make sure that we can get there. This is about fairness and

:31:59.:32:01.

justice, as well as jobs and creating a modern and successful

:32:02.:32:06.

British economy. During the para climate talks they issued

:32:07.:32:16.

scientist called today for renewable energy by 2050 and zero emissions by

:32:17.:32:19.

mid-century in order to keep the world on track. That group

:32:20.:32:24.

represented some 200 million people which has contributed less than 2%

:32:25.:32:27.

of global omissions, but would suffer around 50% of climate

:32:28.:32:32.

impacts. This energy bill should be heating that call for 100%

:32:33.:32:35.

renewables and putting in place policies to be between getting

:32:36.:32:39.

there. To conclude, these are the reasons why I have tabled New Clause

:32:40.:32:44.

12 on just transition. I think that the government needs to recognise

:32:45.:32:48.

they are imperative of leading fossil fuels and the ground and to

:32:49.:32:54.

stop squandering taxpayers money and essential oil and gas that we can't

:32:55.:32:57.

afford to burn. In doing so, I believe that there is a huge

:32:58.:33:03.

opportunity to collaborate with workers and others to build a just

:33:04.:33:10.

transition to a secure, sustainable economy work workers have today in

:33:11.:33:19.

the future. Hear, hear! I rise in support of New Clause seven this

:33:20.:33:29.

evening for cleaning to CCS. ICT site and he... The absence of CCS

:33:30.:33:39.

policy in the UK is a major concern being a critical technology for

:33:40.:33:46.

industrial processes as well as power stations. Within the last 72

:33:47.:33:51.

hours, and other steel company in my constituency is going to close its

:33:52.:33:56.

doors in May with a loss of 40 jobs. It is critical that we stop start

:33:57.:34:07.

making these decisions now. That was a major blow, not just to those two

:34:08.:34:11.

projects, but to the entire industry. Those are very specific

:34:12.:34:17.

where the country's first initial CCS project was still being implied.

:34:18.:34:30.

The energy to Sir attend a meeting and claimed that the economics...

:34:31.:34:33.

Despite the fact that the final business cases were yet to be

:34:34.:34:35.

submitted. She said an updated policy would be developed, but then

:34:36.:34:38.

went on to suggest that we learned from other countries as they develop

:34:39.:34:41.

their Oil and Gas Authority industry. That is not good enough.

:34:42.:34:44.

Britain has tremendous capability and this area. . I am also worried

:34:45.:34:52.

that the Chancellor does not understand what CCS is. When asked

:34:53.:34:59.

him a question a few weeks ago. I asked him what funding would be

:35:00.:35:03.

available for CCS projects once they come up with new policy? He

:35:04.:35:09.

answered, we have set out our capital budget and our energy policy

:35:10.:35:12.

which was the doubling of the investment of renewable energy over

:35:13.:35:19.

the next five years. While Mr Speaker, not capital for CCS

:35:20.:35:23.

projects there. They spoke of her noble energy. I would like to think

:35:24.:35:28.

that he was just dodging my question. But I sure he understood

:35:29.:35:35.

it. The need for him to sent a signal to personally committed to

:35:36.:35:45.

making macro three and -- CCS. Develop a real strategy but its real

:35:46.:35:48.

intention to make the UK a leader in this field. I thank my honourable

:35:49.:35:55.

friend for giving way. CCS is vital because it gives means by which

:35:56.:36:01.

existing industries which manufacture foundation products

:36:02.:36:05.

which go into wind turbines and other mechanisms that we need for

:36:06.:36:10.

renewables, but it is fundamentally dependent upon technologies which

:36:11.:36:18.

are virgins. They are carbon intensive. If you want to have a

:36:19.:36:22.

renewable strategy with a 42% or higher, we need to have still have

:36:23.:36:28.

parts of the traditional sense. My honourable friend makes the point

:36:29.:36:33.

clear for himself. I believe that being a leader is actually critical

:36:34.:36:36.

to our energy intensive and other industries. For us to overcome the

:36:37.:36:41.

competition from across the world. No use hanging back while other

:36:42.:36:51.

nations steal from us. Home to some of the country possum energy most

:36:52.:36:54.

energy intensive energy. I do like to take this opportunity to invite

:36:55.:37:00.

the Minister in Chancellor to the next meeting on the 23rd of March to

:37:01.:37:05.

learn about their ambitious plans. I know that the Chancellor will be

:37:06.:37:09.

busy until the night before, but I guarantee that be a PPG will be much

:37:10.:37:13.

more for just on the needs of industrial Britain and his possible.

:37:14.:37:17.

The government has made clear to build solicitations. -- power

:37:18.:37:30.

stations. The infrastructure exists to put electricity into the national

:37:31.:37:40.

grid. Both of which can incorporate carbon capture. They can develop

:37:41.:37:46.

their own power station, a potential partner is looking to install a 300

:37:47.:37:50.

megawatts power plant on that plot. I know some have reservations about

:37:51.:37:57.

the use of fossil fuels, but what an opportunity for the government to

:37:58.:37:59.

put some meaning into the much abused term "Northern Powerhouse".

:38:00.:38:09.

The unmeasurable quarters of doing it that the Teesside collective in

:38:10.:38:13.

developing an exciting project that can be for Teesside that only people

:38:14.:38:19.

in the South can believe will reality. At vision my honourable

:38:20.:38:25.

friend's generosity. At a time when Teesside has seen so many job losses

:38:26.:38:30.

in the last few weeks, carbon capture stores can provide a few

:38:31.:38:34.

opportunity. Is he agree good feedback to enable some kind of

:38:35.:38:36.

transition we need to ensure that jobs are going to local people in

:38:37.:38:40.

that terms and conditions are not being undercut by recruitment of

:38:41.:38:46.

overseas? I know that local trained units have been campaigning in

:38:47.:38:51.

Teesside companies undercutting what is a living way for the people and

:38:52.:38:58.

the skilled people on Teesside. I know that private-sector power

:38:59.:39:01.

stations are always fraught with cleaning congregations. When the

:39:02.:39:08.

time comes, ministers will be open to ensure a quick decision on the

:39:09.:39:13.

planning application. Mr Speaker, it is difficult to see how some of our

:39:14.:39:17.

industries that are critical to our economy can remain located in the UK

:39:18.:39:25.

without CCS. The government appears to have the strategy for macro one

:39:26.:39:32.

development. -- CCS. New Clause seven to compel government to fill

:39:33.:39:35.

this huge hole in energy policy platform. It does everything any

:39:36.:39:39.

self-respecting government want to do. More than that, and can send a

:39:40.:39:44.

signal to the sector that ministers are serious about carbon capture and

:39:45.:39:49.

storage, but they understand it, are prepared to deliver, and our country

:39:50.:39:52.

can benefit from what could be hundreds of thousands of jobs if

:39:53.:39:59.

they got it right. Hear, hear! I rise to speak very briefly in

:40:00.:40:05.

support of New Clause 11 of which I am delighted to have had an

:40:06.:40:08.

opportunity to add meaning to him to pay tribute to my honourable friends

:40:09.:40:16.

for the amendments and consensual way in which he has built the

:40:17.:40:20.

discourse around it, and indeed for the work that he did as the

:40:21.:40:26.

country's first Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change. This

:40:27.:40:29.

is an issue that all of us lobbied on. For me, last year by a group of

:40:30.:40:38.

school students from a secondary school on the edge of my

:40:39.:40:41.

constituency who came to Westminster to make the point that their

:40:42.:40:48.

generation was conscious of the consequences they would face if our

:40:49.:40:54.

generation failed to act. It is an incredibly powerful point, but it

:40:55.:40:59.

goes beyond the immediate generation, because there was a

:41:00.:41:03.

report published last month in the Journal nature climate change which

:41:04.:41:06.

may be point that much of the discourse we have around the issue

:41:07.:41:14.

has been focused on the consequences of failing to act by the end of the

:41:15.:41:20.

century. In fact, the problems looking beyond the end of this

:41:21.:41:23.

century are even more serious indeed. The authors made the point

:41:24.:41:32.

that we are making choices that will affect our grandchildren's

:41:33.:41:36.

grandchildren and beyond. We need to think carefully about the long-term

:41:37.:41:41.

skills of what we are admission. That was a professor from Harvard

:41:42.:41:46.

University. The need to act has never been more clear. The need to

:41:47.:41:52.

act more ambitiously. The agreement of the Paris summit is a for, but as

:41:53.:41:57.

last month's report highlighted, even if global warming is capped at

:41:58.:42:02.

government's target of two Celsius, which is already seen as difficult,

:42:03.:42:08.

20% of the world pub for macro's population will have to migrate away

:42:09.:42:14.

from coasts swarmed by populations such as New York, London, Rio,

:42:15.:42:20.

Cairo, Jakarta, in Shanghai would all be submerged. We have seen the

:42:21.:42:26.

struggle to grapple with the refugee crisis, that we have seen grow over

:42:27.:42:31.

the last couple of years. A crisis that was driven by a war in one

:42:32.:42:37.

country, in a number of other related conflicts. Imagine, for a

:42:38.:42:42.

moment, what we will face if 20% of the world's population is forced to

:42:43.:42:49.

do what people have always done when their phones become uninhabitable,

:42:50.:42:57.

move to somewhere better. We need ambition and urgency. It is provided

:42:58.:43:05.

by this New Clause. It is a professor one of the authors of the

:43:06.:43:12.

report that said, the next 20 years are in Port to put us on a path and

:43:13.:43:16.

ensuring that the next 200 years the impacts are limited and give us time

:43:17.:43:23.

to adapt. I would say to the honourable member for Aberdeen South

:43:24.:43:31.

and his comments on this New Clause that the reservations that he

:43:32.:43:38.

expressed have been taken account of in the thoughtful way that the

:43:39.:43:41.

Clause has been drafted, and the role that it provides for the

:43:42.:43:44.

committee on climate change. What we need is the ambition that is

:43:45.:43:51.

embodied in this New Clause. As my right honourable friend said, we did

:43:52.:43:58.

it but the 2008 UK climate act. It sends a signal to the world. We can

:43:59.:44:03.

do that again. We need to do that again. He cannot afford not to. The

:44:04.:44:08.

reality is that the future is bleak if we do not cut our emissions

:44:09.:44:15.

further than Paris suggested. The role that this New Clause proposes

:44:16.:44:19.

for the committee on climate change is important but in terms of your

:44:20.:44:25.

robustness of that ambition, and also its portability. I am pleased

:44:26.:44:27.

to hear that the constructive engagement that there has been the

:44:28.:44:31.

my right honourable friend and the secretary of state, and I hope that

:44:32.:44:35.

we can in her comments later here that we came together -- can

:44:36.:44:39.

together move forward together on this issue. I will not speak very

:44:40.:44:48.

briefly to government and the events 48, 49, and also 51. Amendment 48

:44:49.:44:56.

and 49 ad development provisions of the well taxation act of 1975 in the

:44:57.:45:01.

Corporation tax act 2010 to the legislation listed at Clause to (6).

:45:02.:45:12.

This ensures that the functions provided for in these acts fall

:45:13.:45:16.

within the definition of relevant functions, and can be transferred

:45:17.:45:19.

from the secretary of state to the Oil and Gas Authority by regulations

:45:20.:45:25.

made under Clause two of the bracket to close bracket.

:45:26.:45:33.

Contain the important oil and gas functions of determining oil fields

:45:34.:45:40.

and cluster areas by selectively. These functions from the basis of

:45:41.:45:45.

well taxation. Petroleum revenue tax supplied by determined field and

:45:46.:45:50.

allowances given by cluster area to reduce the amount of profits to

:45:51.:45:54.

which the supplementary charges apply. Both of these functions

:45:55.:45:59.

currently undertaken by the Oil and Gas Authority in its capacity as an

:46:00.:46:04.

executive agency have a fundamental to our tax regime and incentivizing

:46:05.:46:08.

investment. These amendments by technical and simply seek to put

:46:09.:46:12.

beyond doubt that these key functions can be transferred to the

:46:13.:46:15.

OG a want ad because a government company as it -- as we have always

:46:16.:46:22.

intended. To explain government amended 51 which introduces an

:46:23.:46:26.

amendments title. This amendment as consequent to the removal of the

:46:27.:46:46.

bell at committee stage. -- bill. Now Mr Speaker, coming the proposed

:46:47.:46:50.

amendments put forward by honourable members, firstly to New Clause three

:46:51.:46:55.

which was tabled by the honourable member for Aberdeen South and New

:46:56.:46:59.

Clause seven table by the honourable member for Wigan and others. I also

:47:00.:47:07.

know that the honourable member for the -- force CCS and we have

:47:08.:47:14.

discussed on a number of occasions. These amendments... I am pleased to

:47:15.:47:20.

acknowledge the work that the Minister has done, but the important

:47:21.:47:24.

thing is that we are able to convince the Chancellor that he

:47:25.:47:27.

should fund CCS sometime in the future. I wonder how open the

:47:28.:47:34.

Minister is the that? These amendments seek to please a duty on

:47:35.:47:39.

the secretary of state to commenced a CCS strategy by 2017. An report on

:47:40.:47:45.

progress every three years. The Clause is also set out the strategy

:47:46.:47:49.

must help deliver the emissions reduction to meet the fit and

:47:50.:47:55.

subsequent carbon budgets. As I emphasised at the book committee,

:47:56.:47:58.

the government's view remains that the CCS has an important role to

:47:59.:48:03.

play in the long-term decarbonization of the UK's

:48:04.:48:12.

industrial power sectors. And in the longevity of must-see industries.

:48:13.:48:17.

However, we know that currently CCS costs are high, which is why we

:48:18.:48:21.

remain committed to working with industry to bring forward innovative

:48:22.:48:25.

ideas for reducing the costs of this potentially important technology. I

:48:26.:48:29.

will give way to the honourable gentleman. I think the Minister for

:48:30.:48:34.

giving way. I think her her comments. Given the increased

:48:35.:48:46.

construction, and the fact that it has been well noted in this house of

:48:47.:48:50.

the removal of the CCS competition was a missed opportunity. In

:48:51.:48:53.

Scotland, we still have the CCS project which was committed with CCS

:48:54.:49:01.

technology, will the Minister agree that CCS advisor group should look

:49:02.:49:07.

at this as an opportunity to get us back on track? What I can say is

:49:08.:49:12.

that the government is invested over ?220 million since 2011 and CCS.

:49:13.:49:19.

This financial year alone we invested 6 million, including 1.7

:49:20.:49:25.

million and October 2015, Lasher, to support three CCS innovative

:49:26.:49:33.

technologies. And to .5 million to investigate potential new CO2

:49:34.:49:38.

stores. We have also invested ?60 million of our international climate

:49:39.:49:42.

fund to support CCS capacity building and action internationally.

:49:43.:49:45.

The honourable Sentinel the micro gentleman will be aware that they

:49:46.:49:57.

provided money and 2015. As I say, Mr Speaker, we know that currently

:49:58.:50:02.

CCS costs are high. We are committed to working with industry to bring

:50:03.:50:05.

forward innovative ideas to reduce the costs. A key part of this is our

:50:06.:50:12.

continuing investment and CCS to innovation support, international

:50:13.:50:14.

partnerships, and industrial research projects. I recognise that

:50:15.:50:20.

industry and others are keen for government to set out its approach

:50:21.:50:24.

to CCS as soon as possible. As a emphasise that the book committee,

:50:25.:50:27.

the government will do this by the end of 2016. In doing so, we will

:50:28.:50:33.

continue to engage closely with industry, the all party group, the

:50:34.:50:43.

CCS strategy group, which will give recommendations by the summer. I

:50:44.:50:47.

hope that I have reassured honourable members that their new

:50:48.:50:51.

clauses are unnecessary. I do hope that they will be content to

:50:52.:50:55.

withdraw their amendments. I will give way to the honourable

:50:56.:51:00.

gentleman. I wonder if she would hazard a comment on the proposed

:51:01.:51:03.

project for Teesside that would see a 300 megawatts power station built

:51:04.:51:11.

on the site Appleton backed up with CCS. I wonder if she has a comment

:51:12.:51:17.

on that? As I said to the honourable gentleman, I continue to engage with

:51:18.:51:22.

him and others. The CCS advisory group will be publishing its

:51:23.:51:28.

findings. As he and other honourable members will know, CCS costs are

:51:29.:51:35.

currently extreme high. I can't make any kid at its own particular

:51:36.:51:40.

profits right now. Turning to new clauses six and ten tabled by the

:51:41.:51:46.

right honourable members, these are intended to restrict the carbon

:51:47.:51:49.

accounting rules that are allowed under the climate change act. From

:51:50.:51:56.

the fifth carbon budget period. Under the current rules, we count

:51:57.:52:01.

the UK's admissions for some sectors, and for other sectors,

:52:02.:52:04.

reflect the EU emissions trading works. These amendments will prevent

:52:05.:52:10.

us from continuing with this approach. Instead, the intention is

:52:11.:52:17.

presumably that the UK's actual admissions for all sectors are

:52:18.:52:21.

counted, but without the ability to offset any of these do a system of

:52:22.:52:26.

carbon accounting. As I said previously, even with this change we

:52:27.:52:29.

would still participate in the EU emissions trading system. The effect

:52:30.:52:32.

of these amendments would just be that we would not reflect how the EU

:52:33.:52:42.

emissions trading system works. Of course, there are arguments for and

:52:43.:52:45.

against different accounting methods. It does require careful

:52:46.:52:49.

consideration of several different factors, including the impact on

:52:50.:52:54.

consumers, businesses, and industry, and of course on meeting our

:52:55.:52:58.

domestic, EU, and international covenants and the cheapest way. My

:52:59.:53:02.

honourable friend for Warrington South clearly set out to be

:53:03.:53:06.

challenges for energy intensive industries. It is absolutely right

:53:07.:53:11.

that we keep under review our current practices. Now is not the

:53:12.:53:17.

right time to make these changes. We are focused on setting the fifth

:53:18.:53:21.

carbon budget, and we have to do that by the 30th of June this year

:53:22.:53:25.

as required by the climate change act. That is less than four months

:53:26.:53:30.

away. Accepting new clauses six or ten at this point in the process

:53:31.:53:34.

with threaten serious delay to setting the fifth carbon budget.

:53:35.:53:38.

This cannot be right, and it can't be what right honourable members

:53:39.:53:41.

intended. I just can't accept that it is at risk of not complying with

:53:42.:53:46.

the weekly committed climate change act. -- legally. I hope that

:53:47.:53:51.

honourable members will be prepared to withdraw these memos. I turned

:53:52.:53:54.

out to New Clause 11 tabled by the right honourable member for

:53:55.:53:59.

Doncaster North. This amendment would set a new climate change

:54:00.:54:03.

target for the UK, specifically, it would require the government to set

:54:04.:54:07.

a cure by which the images would be zero or less. And to ensure that

:54:08.:54:10.

this target is met for that year and the subsequent ones. The year but

:54:11.:54:15.

have to be set within 12 months of this energy bill coming into force,

:54:16.:54:17.

and following advice in the committee on climate change. I want

:54:18.:54:21.

to sincerely thank the right honourable gentleman for raising

:54:22.:54:25.

this important issue. And for his statements over a long period of

:54:26.:54:28.

time to the House on the matter. I know the House was delighted with

:54:29.:54:31.

the Paris agreement, which included a goal for global net zero

:54:32.:54:35.

admissions by the end of the century. By right honourable friend,

:54:36.:54:39.

the secretary of state, played a crucial role herself in

:54:40.:54:41.

support for the school in Paris, and I would also like to think the right

:54:42.:54:46.

honourable Zondervan for his support and securing such an ambitious deal.

:54:47.:54:50.

I am fearful for his past and continued commitment to the

:54:51.:54:55.

continued subject of climate change. The government believes that we will

:54:56.:54:59.

need to take the step of the micro of enshrining the parents goal. The

:55:00.:55:07.

question is not whether, but how we do it. There is an important set of

:55:08.:55:11.

questions to be answered before we do. The committee on climate change

:55:12.:55:17.

is looking at the implications of the commitments and parents, and has

:55:18.:55:21.

that able to report in autumn. We all want to consider, carefully, the

:55:22.:55:24.

recommendations of the committee. I am very happy to get the right

:55:25.:55:27.

honourable gentleman the undertaking that we will also discuss with him

:55:28.:55:32.

and put others the House how best to approach this matter once we have

:55:33.:55:37.

undertaken a consideration. I believe, Mr Speaker, that this is an

:55:38.:55:41.

example once again of the House demonstrating on a cross party basis

:55:42.:55:45.

in determination to tackle climate change as he showed and the climate

:55:46.:55:50.

change act. We are determined to build on the momentum of Paris, and

:55:51.:55:54.

I believe our positive response to the right honourable gentleman today

:55:55.:55:58.

is a clear example of it. I hope that on that basis, the right

:55:59.:56:00.

honourable gentleman will agree to withdraw his amendment. Next I will

:56:01.:56:06.

respond to New Clause 12 tabled by the honourable member for Brighton

:56:07.:56:11.

Pavilion. This amendment will require the secretary of state to

:56:12.:56:15.

develop and publish a national strategy for the energy sector

:56:16.:56:20.

towards 100% renewable energy by 2050 under the framework of a

:56:21.:56:23.

so-called "Just physician". I want to start to start recognising the

:56:24.:56:30.

member and I can agree. She is a passionate advocate for tackling

:56:31.:56:33.

climate change. That is something that this government is firmly

:56:34.:56:37.

committed to doing. Out domestic climate change act is world leading,

:56:38.:56:41.

and my right honourable friend the secretary of state played a critical

:56:42.:56:45.

role/ year in securing a strong, global deal in Paris. He also agreed

:56:46.:56:50.

on the important pool for renewables and helping to reduce emissions. In

:56:51.:56:53.

particular, I welcome the progress that we have seen so far in driving

:56:54.:56:58.

down the cost of renewables technologies such as offshore wind

:56:59.:57:03.

and solar. While I hope that we can indeed agree on these points, we do

:57:04.:57:07.

have different views on the best way to go about reducing emissions.

:57:08.:57:11.

There are three reasons why I can't accept her amendment. First, it goes

:57:12.:57:17.

against the principle of technology neutrality which ensures that we can

:57:18.:57:21.

cut emissions at the lowest cost to consumers. Second, we already engage

:57:22.:57:28.

vary widely on our approach to decarbonization. Thirdly, it

:57:29.:57:33.

overlaps significantly with the existing legislative requirement for

:57:34.:57:36.

us to publish policies and proposals for tackling climate change.

:57:37.:57:41.

We are committed to ensuring the UK doesn't part to tackle climate

:57:42.:57:47.

change, and we want to cut omissions as cheaply as possible, and drive

:57:48.:57:51.

down costs for families and for businesses. I will give way to the

:57:52.:57:58.

Honorable Lady. I wonder if you could elaborate a little bit more on

:57:59.:58:03.

her technology neutrality point. All am talking about here is renewables

:58:04.:58:06.

and energy efficiency, and storage and so forth, if she knows of some

:58:07.:58:09.

wonderful new technology that can get our omissions down more quickly

:58:10.:58:13.

and more cheaply, I would love to hear about it. At the Honorable Lady

:58:14.:58:19.

well knows, one transitional approach to decarbonization is to

:58:20.:58:23.

move away from coal and towards gas as a bridge to a low carbon future.

:58:24.:58:28.

She will also be very aware that new nuclear offers a low carbon

:58:29.:58:31.

technology for the future, and one that this government is committed to

:58:32.:58:37.

supporting. So, I do appreciate the intent behind much of the Honorable

:58:38.:58:41.

Lady's amendment, but I hope she can see why I cannot accept the

:58:42.:58:45.

specifics of the amendment, and that she will be content to withdraw it.

:58:46.:58:49.

I turned out to New Clause eight, Mr Speaker, which was tabled by the

:58:50.:58:52.

Honorable member for Wigan, and others. This amendment would require

:58:53.:58:56.

the Secretary of State to step a decarbonization target range

:58:57.:59:01.

electricity sector. We debated very similar amendments in the last

:59:02.:59:04.

Parliament, and also during the passage of this spell, and the other

:59:05.:59:09.

place, and in other stages. The government has made our own position

:59:10.:59:12.

on this matter very clear, and we are committed to ensuring the UK

:59:13.:59:16.

continues to do its part to tackle climate change, in line with the

:59:17.:59:20.

climate change act, and are international and EU obligations.

:59:21.:59:24.

However, we want to do this as cost effectively as possible. To keep

:59:25.:59:29.

costs down for families and businesses,

:59:30.:00:04.

while delivering on legally binding commitments. We cannot do that by

:00:05.:00:07.

blocking ourselves into additional expensive, and inflexible targets,

:00:08.:00:09.

relating to the power sector. There are just too many things we cannot

:00:10.:00:11.

predict about how the energy system will develop over the next 15 years

:00:12.:00:14.

and beyond. The cost of getting this right now would be picked up by

:00:15.:00:17.

families and businesses for decades to come. I find it strange that

:00:18.:00:19.

opposition parties are often arguing that we'r e not doing enough to

:00:20.:00:22.

tackle fuel poverty. And yet they're urging us to sign consumers up to

:00:23.:00:24.

distorting and expensive power sector want to know that we have

:00:25.:00:26.

clear, investors want to know that we have is setting up the next

:00:27.:00:29.

stages and its long-term commitment to move to a low carbon economy,

:00:30.:00:31.

providing a basis for electricity investment into the next decade. The

:00:32.:00:34.

huge investment we have seen so far is evidence that our approach is

:00:35.:00:36.

working, between 2010, and 2014, our policies have secured an, and

:00:37.:00:38.

affordable plans. The government is setting up the next stages and its

:00:39.:00:41.

long-term commitment to move to a low carbon economy, providing a

:00:42.:00:43.

basis for electricity investment into the next decade. The huge

:00:44.:00:45.

investment we have seen so far is evidence that our approach is

:00:46.:00:47.

working, between 2010, and 2014, our policies have secured ?32 billion,

:00:48.:00:51.

of investment in low carbon electricity. Including ?40 billion

:00:52.:00:53.

in renewables. And we have more in the pipeline for the future I cannot

:00:54.:00:56.

accept this amendment, and I asked Honorable members to withdraw Mr

:00:57.:00:58.

Speaker, I would like now to deal with New Clause McColl tabled by the

:00:59.:01:01.

Honorable member for Wigan, and others. This amendment seeks to

:01:02.:01:03.

eligibility criteria, requiring any new eligibility criteria, requiring

:01:04.:01:07.

any year capacity agreements to be made -- Bill accessing 15 year

:01:08.:01:12.

capacity agreements to be made subject amendment is not achieved

:01:13.:01:16.

its intended aim, so I'm surprised to see it reappear here. The EPS

:01:17.:01:20.

sets and annual limit specifically on CO2 emissions performance

:01:21.:01:23.

standard, or EPS. As I have explained previously, the amendment

:01:24.:01:25.

is not achieved its intended aim, so I'm surprised to see it reappear

:01:26.:01:27.

here. The EPS sets an annual limit specifically on from fossil fuel

:01:28.:01:30.

plant, with an fuel generated about 50 megawatts seeking to participate

:01:31.:01:33.

in the capacity market, will already be subject to this limit, so nothing

:01:34.:01:38.

would be gained by introducing this as a further eligibility 50

:01:39.:01:40.

megawatts. Any new fossil fuel generated about 50 megawatts seeking

:01:41.:01:42.

to participate in the capacity market, will already be subject to

:01:43.:01:45.

this limit, so nothing would be gained by introducing this as a

:01:46.:01:49.

further eligibility 15 year agreement, so this would also have

:01:50.:01:54.

no impact on those generators. As I have set out before, the mission

:01:55.:01:57.

impact from smaller generators that sit below the 50 megawatts threshold

:01:58.:02:01.

is often assumed to be larger than it is in reality. Small peaking

:02:02.:02:07.

generation have a relatively small impact on overall CO2 emissions due

:02:08.:02:11.

to be short hours that they run, and I will make my point, and that I

:02:12.:02:13.

will give way to the Honorable gentleman. These generators run less

:02:14.:02:18.

than 100 hours a year, in the case of diesel engines. While larger

:02:19.:02:22.

fossil fuel plants will run for 2000 hours or more. Proposed amendment is

:02:23.:02:28.

not effective for the simple reason that the annual EPS CTO -- CO2

:02:29.:02:31.

emissions, it would be very unlikely to have any impact on small

:02:32.:02:37.

generators, part -- participating in the market. I will give way. Is in

:02:38.:02:43.

the proposal that the Minister herself is putting forward for the

:02:44.:02:48.

future, inclusion of smallest diesel sets into air quality standards

:02:49.:02:51.

subject to exactly the same problem? They bring smaller generators into a

:02:52.:02:56.

scheme which was originally proposed for larger generators, and thereby

:02:57.:02:59.

including them in the system? That is exactly what the amendment is

:03:00.:03:03.

proposing, for the smaller diesel subs coming into an omissions

:03:04.:03:05.

performance standard, that otherwise would apply to larger plants. As I

:03:06.:03:11.

explained, his amendment is not have that effect, but I'm not complacent

:03:12.:03:16.

about concerns associated with local pollutants from small generators.

:03:17.:03:20.

I'm very aware of the concern in particular about diesel. The

:03:21.:03:24.

Department for the environment, food, will consult later this year

:03:25.:03:28.

on options that will include legislation that would set binding

:03:29.:03:31.

and mission limit values on the relevant air pollutants from the

:03:32.:03:35.

smaller engines. With a view to having legislation enforced no later

:03:36.:03:41.

than January 2019, and possibly sooner. These would apply to

:03:42.:03:44.

generators or groups of generators with the rate of thermal input equal

:03:45.:03:48.

to or greater than one megawatt, and less than 50 megawatts. Irrespective

:03:49.:03:54.

of their hours of operation on any given year, so this shows that the

:03:55.:03:58.

government is taking it -- appropriate action to avoid any

:03:59.:04:02.

disproportionate action on air quality from smaller engines, where

:04:03.:04:04.

these could contribute to harmful levels of air pollutants. The

:04:05.:04:10.

exceeding of existing air-quality values. These limits send a clear

:04:11.:04:16.

message about the viability of developing and running diesel

:04:17.:04:21.

generators in the future. I hope Honorable members have found my

:04:22.:04:23.

explanation reassuring, and we will be content to withdraw their

:04:24.:04:30.

amendment. I turn now to New Clause five, tabled by the right Honorable

:04:31.:04:36.

member. This amendment seeks to reinsert the Clause added by the

:04:37.:04:39.

opposition and the other place, once again, rewriting the oil and gas

:04:40.:04:45.

Authority's principal objective of maximizing economic recovery. This

:04:46.:04:49.

topic has been debated at length brought the passage of this bill.

:04:50.:04:53.

The government successfully removed the previous situation of this

:04:54.:04:56.

Clause at committee, with the support of Honorable members from

:04:57.:05:00.

the Scottish national party, importantly, it was agreed across

:05:01.:05:04.

the room, including by the opposition front bench that diluting

:05:05.:05:07.

the focus of the LGA in such a weight is undesirable. In light of

:05:08.:05:12.

this, I must say I'm surprised and rather disappointed that the right

:05:13.:05:15.

Honorable member who tabled this amendment not least, because of the

:05:16.:05:19.

serious implications it has for jobs and growth in Scotland, as I have

:05:20.:05:24.

said many times, any amendment that the tracks in the focus on

:05:25.:05:28.

maximizing economic or is damaging to the North Sea, such a move is

:05:29.:05:34.

unacceptable, particularly at a time of unprecedented challenge. For the

:05:35.:05:39.

oil and gas industry. I'm as disappointed as she claims to be

:05:40.:05:45.

with me. To suggest that the LGA, which is an exceptionally big public

:05:46.:05:50.

body is incapable of doing more than one thing is rather insulting to the

:05:51.:05:57.

body that worked so hard to save us. The right Honorable gentleman,

:05:58.:06:03.

misses the point, he -- the point about its principal objective being

:06:04.:06:08.

to maximise the economic recovery is that they'll will then focus its

:06:09.:06:11.

efforts on the long-term sustainability of the North Sea, and

:06:12.:06:15.

not that the other house put in place, which is something related to

:06:16.:06:20.

short termism, and trying to maximise the profitability and so

:06:21.:06:24.

on, which would simply be countered to the job growth in his

:06:25.:06:28.

constituency and others. Removing the LGA focus seriously risks

:06:29.:06:33.

weakening its ability to provide support to an industry that is so

:06:34.:06:37.

urgently in need of it. The potential knock on wood be

:06:38.:06:40.

significant, and it would risk the premature decommissioning of key

:06:41.:06:44.

North Sea infrastructure, but would also seriously jeopardise vital

:06:45.:06:48.

skills and experience, including those that could prompt mode the

:06:49.:06:52.

longevity of the industry for carbon storage objects. From this

:06:53.:06:56.

perspective, the amendment is self-defeating. Furthermore, the

:06:57.:06:59.

maximizing economic recovery for UK strategy is not being published and

:07:00.:07:02.

is currently before Parliament. The impact of this amendment would undo

:07:03.:07:06.

a significant amount of work that has been undertaken with industry,

:07:07.:07:11.

and would require the LGA to revise its UK strategy, to take into

:07:12.:07:13.

account the expansion in the principal objective. As the

:07:14.:07:18.

Honorable member for Aberdeen South was mentioned on them for a

:07:19.:07:22.

vacation, it really is mission critical that the LGA maintains a

:07:23.:07:28.

laser-like focus on maximizing economy... Setting it up to fail,

:07:29.:07:35.

and it's crucial mission to protect our domestic energy mix, and to

:07:36.:07:38.

support hundreds of thousands of jobs. This is not what is best for

:07:39.:07:46.

the UK or its future. A thinker for drawing attention to that. I think

:07:47.:07:48.

it is absolutely fundamental that the LGA does this. It is also

:07:49.:07:52.

fundamental to the industry for the chancellor to have that laser-like

:07:53.:07:56.

focus, and reiterated her to make sure that the industry gets that

:07:57.:08:01.

support it needs on Wednesday. I am grateful to him for that, and he

:08:02.:08:04.

will be aware that the Chancellor has a very... I hope you will be

:08:05.:08:11.

pleased, but I could assure him that his interests and the interests of

:08:12.:08:17.

the UK Continental shelf are being very carefully considered. I do hope

:08:18.:08:20.

that the right honourable gentleman will be content to withdraw his

:08:21.:08:24.

amendment. Mr Speaker, lastly, you'll be pleased to know that I

:08:25.:08:29.

turn to amendment 47, tabled by the Honorable member for Reagan and

:08:30.:08:33.

others. The amendment would oblige the LGA to consider the most

:08:34.:08:36.

advantageous use of North Sea infrastructure. For the overbroad

:08:37.:08:41.

benefit comp right to the decommissioning of such sites. I'm

:08:42.:08:44.

delighted to note that the support across this house for the measures

:08:45.:08:51.

to establish the OGA, the impact of the fall in oil prices makes this

:08:52.:08:56.

even more critical. Why we're taking urgent steps to stimulate

:08:57.:09:00.

investments and expiration, it is equally important to the overall

:09:01.:09:03.

viability of the North Sea that we make the best use of infrastructure,

:09:04.:09:08.

in order to mitigate the risks of premature decommissioning, and this

:09:09.:09:11.

requires a holistic approach. In which operators and infrastructure

:09:12.:09:16.

owners collaborate to ensure the maximum economic recovery of

:09:17.:09:20.

petroleum for the UK Continental shelf. That is precisely provided by

:09:21.:09:26.

the OGA's principal objective, set out in section nine A of the

:09:27.:09:30.

petroleum act of 1998. The strategy to maximise economic recovery is

:09:31.:09:35.

furthering addressing this issue, and includes students to plan,

:09:36.:09:38.

commission, and maintain infrastructure in a way that meets

:09:39.:09:43.

the optimum configuration for maximizing the value of economically

:09:44.:09:47.

recoverable petroleum, taking into account the operational needs of

:09:48.:09:51.

others. So the strategy and the measures in this bill intro that

:09:52.:09:57.

before any infrastructure and relevant UK waters, but the owners

:09:58.:09:59.

of the infrastructure and the LGA must ensure that all viable options

:10:00.:10:08.

for its continued use or export. Mr Speaker, the LGA -- OGA, is working

:10:09.:10:14.

for a framework focused on them proving late like management. The

:10:15.:10:18.

LGA will publish its decommissioning sector this summer. I hope Honorable

:10:19.:10:22.

members have found my explanation reassuring, and will be content to

:10:23.:10:23.

withdraw their amendment. The question is that New Clause

:10:24.:10:37.

during the ride a second time. As many as are of the opinion, say

:10:38.:10:44.

"aye". To the contrary, "no". Clear the lobby!

:10:45.:11:05.

Border! The question is that New Clause three B read a second time.

:11:06.:12:52.

As many as are of the opinion, say "aye". To the contrary, "no".

:12:53.:13:06.

Tenders for the noes, Miss Margot James.

:13:07.:18:48.

Are! Border! -- border! The ayes to the right, 229, the noes to the

:18:49.:22:44.

left, 268. The ayes to the right, 229. The noes

:22:45.:23:00.

to the left, 268. The noes habit, the noes Abbott. Unlock! -- habit.

:23:01.:23:09.

Doctor Whitehead to move New Clause eight formally, thank you. The

:23:10.:23:17.

question is that New Clause eight be read a second time. As many as are

:23:18.:23:20.

of the opinion, say "aye". To the contrary, "no". Adjourn! Clear the

:23:21.:23:26.

lobby! Border! The question is that New

:23:27.:25:40.

Clause eight to be read a second time. As many as are of the opinion,

:25:41.:25:49.

say "aye". To the contrary, "no". Tellers for... I will have a word

:25:50.:25:55.

with him over commodity at some point. Tenders for the ayes, Mr

:25:56.:26:08.

Graham Morris. And Mr Jeff Smith. Tenders for the no, Miss Margot

:26:09.:26:10.

James. Order, order! The ayes to the right

:26:11.:35:44.

227, the noes to the last, 272. -- laughed. The ayes to the left --

:35:45.:35:54.

227, and noes 272. The noes cabinet. Unlock! To move New Clause ten. The

:35:55.:36:04.

question is that New Clause ten B read a second time. As many as are

:36:05.:36:07.

of the opinion, say "aye". To the contrary, "no". Clearly lobby. --

:36:08.:36:16.

cleared the lobby. The question is that New Clause ten

:36:17.:38:20.

be read a second time. As many as are of the opinion, say "aye". To

:38:21.:38:30.

the contrary, "no". Tell us for the eyes, and tell us for the noes.

:38:31.:44:20.

Order, order! The ayes to the bag, 229. The noes to the left, 275. The

:44:21.:47:20.

ayes to the right, 229. The noes to the left, 275. The noes cabinet, the

:47:21.:47:29.

noes cabinet. Unlock. With leave, we will take the government amendment

:47:30.:47:36.

40 eight, 49, and 51 together. The Minister to move governments

:47:37.:47:41.

amendments formally, thank you. The question is that government

:47:42.:47:45.

amendments 40 weight, 49, and 51 be made. As many as are of the opinion,

:47:46.:47:50.

say "aye". To the contrary, "no". I think the ayes habit. Order, order!

:47:51.:47:58.

Consideration completed. I will now suspend the House for no more than

:47:59.:48:02.

five minutes in order to make a decision about certification. The

:48:03.:48:07.

division bells will be wrong to minutes before the House resumes.

:48:08.:48:12.

Following my certification, the government will table the

:48:13.:48:15.

appropriate content ocean, copies of which will be made available in the

:48:16.:48:20.

vote office and will be distributed by doorkeepers. Order.

:48:21.:49:02.

INTRO MUSIC in good times and bad, every budget based at the same way

:49:03.:49:13.

with a chance to microchips or any exchequer standing here in holding

:49:14.:49:16.

up the budget box. The budget speech contained in the box is how the

:49:17.:49:20.

government outlined its tax bounce for the next year. How is going to

:49:21.:49:24.

base money, but not how it is going to spend it. That comes later. Do

:49:25.:49:29.

these measures, it aims to stimulate the economy or hold it back. The

:49:30.:49:33.

budget affects everybody from individuals to businesses. It's not

:49:34.:49:37.

just about tax on booze and cigarettes. Box in hand, the

:49:38.:49:47.

Chancellor then had turned down the street to outline the government

:49:48.:49:49.

plans to MPs. The classic budget box number or Gladstone box, was retired

:49:50.:49:54.

in 2010 after over 100 years in use. Traditionally, to aid the Chancellor

:49:55.:49:59.

and the northern part, something has been provided to put some fires in

:50:00.:50:08.

the belly. William Gladstone in dude sherry and beatnik, the management

:50:09.:50:12.

this baby had brandy and water. He had a gin and tonic. Can Clark

:50:13.:50:16.

enjoyed a whiskey in the dispatch box. Nigel Lawson said a white wine

:50:17.:50:24.

spritzer. Traditionally, the alcoholic pickle came to an end in

:50:25.:50:27.

1997 with new Labour. Now counsellors do nothing stronger than

:50:28.:50:32.

mineral water. The comments is always packed for a budget

:50:33.:50:38.

statement. They sit in silence. The length of the state and berries. Mr

:50:39.:50:42.

Gladstone, the one of the great parliamentary or holds the record.

:50:43.:50:48.

-- orators. No wonder he needed a drink. The prime minister

:50:49.:50:53.

traditionally sits beside the Chancellor. Looking glum more

:50:54.:51:02.

elated. Budget rules mean, unlike other legislation, certain changes

:51:03.:51:06.

such as taxes on petrol and alcohol take effect from 6pm on budget day.

:51:07.:51:11.

And I commend this budget to the House! MPs debate the budget led by

:51:12.:51:18.

the Leader of the Opposition. The finance Bill brings the government's

:51:19.:51:23.

tax proposals into law. It is briefly debated in the Lords, but

:51:24.:51:26.

peers cannot amend or delay it as they have no power over public

:51:27.:51:31.

taxation bills. The budget legislation is brought into effect

:51:32.:51:34.

in the finance Bill is enacted. This happens in July following a spring

:51:35.:51:39.

budget. And that's it. The Chancellor can put his budget box

:51:40.:51:42.

away for the next her. But we will also be perfect for the next 12

:51:43.:51:45.

months. AFTER MUSIC. Order, order! I can now inform house

:51:46.:52:46.

that I have completed certification of the bill as required by the

:52:47.:52:54.

standing order. I have confirmed the view expressed in my provisional

:52:55.:52:59.

certificate issued on 9th of March. Copies of my final search Dunn

:53:00.:53:03.

research advocate can be made available in the note off it in on

:53:04.:53:06.

the Parliamentary website. Understanding order number 83 M a

:53:07.:53:12.

consent motion is therefore required for the bill to proceed. Copies of

:53:13.:53:17.

the motion are available in the vote office and on the Parliamentary

:53:18.:53:20.

website, and have been made available to members in the chamber.

:53:21.:53:27.

Does the Minister intend to move the consent motion? Thank you.

:53:28.:53:34.

Understanding order number 83 M subsection four the House months

:53:35.:53:37.

forth with resolve itself into a legislative grant committee England

:53:38.:53:40.

and Wales. Order, order! Order, order! There will not be a

:53:41.:54:08.

debate on the consent motion for England and Wales. I remind

:54:09.:54:12.

honourable members that all members may speak in the debate, but if

:54:13.:54:17.

there are divisions only members representing constituencies in

:54:18.:54:21.

England and Wales may boat on the consent motion. I called the

:54:22.:54:24.

Minister to move the consent motion for England and Wales. I beg to move

:54:25.:54:29.

the consent motion and the name of my right honourable friend the

:54:30.:54:32.

Secretary of State. As set out in the written ministerial statement

:54:33.:54:35.

tabled on the 10th of March. Nothing has changed since the bill was

:54:36.:54:41.

introduced. I urge honourable and right honourable members to support

:54:42.:54:44.

the consent motion. The question is the consent motion relating to

:54:45.:54:47.

England and Wales as on the notice paper. As many of that opinion say

:54:48.:54:58.

ayes on the contrary, noes the ayes habit. -- ayes habit. Order, order!

:54:59.:55:22.

Order, order! Third reading. I think to report that the legislative grant

:55:23.:55:31.

committee of England and Wales has considered to be certification

:55:32.:55:33.

Democrats certified Clause of the order bill laws. Third reading? The

:55:34.:55:43.

Queens consent? The prince of Wales's consent? Minister to move

:55:44.:55:53.

third reading, secretary of state. I beg to move that the bill be now

:55:54.:55:58.

read a third time. Madam Deputy Speaker, this government is focused

:55:59.:56:03.

on delivering measures that support our long-term plan for secure,

:56:04.:56:08.

clean, affordable energy supplies. This bill puts and plays key

:56:09.:56:12.

manifesto commitments to achieve those objectives. First, bite

:56:13.:56:17.

meeting our commitment to support the development of oil and gas and

:56:18.:56:22.

the North Sea. This bill provides the oil and gas Authority with the

:56:23.:56:25.

direction and power it needs to be an effective regulator and to

:56:26.:56:29.

maximise recovery of resources and the North Sea to the benefit of

:56:30.:56:35.

Britain's energy security. Second, meeting our commitments to end new

:56:36.:56:39.

public subsidies for onshore wind and giving local people the final

:56:40.:56:43.

say on wind farm applications. In doing so, this bill will protect

:56:44.:56:48.

bill payers by helping to control the cost to the public on support

:56:49.:56:53.

for Noble energy. Madam Deputy Speaker, let me take these in turn

:56:54.:56:56.

adjusting the action be taken since the bill's second reading in January

:56:57.:57:00.

before touching on other honourable member measures and the bill. As I

:57:01.:57:04.

set out on second reading, amendments made any other sought to

:57:05.:57:09.

expand considerably to the objectives of the Oil and Gas

:57:10.:57:12.

Authority. Our view is that this would dilute the fact the macro

:57:13.:57:16.

focus of the OGA as a crucial factor for the oil and gas industry. This

:57:17.:57:21.

house has reinstated the OCA's original objective for maximizing

:57:22.:57:29.

economic recovery. OGA's. The OGA must have clarity on their primary

:57:30.:57:34.

objective. Be bill as it now stands provide that. With regards to

:57:35.:57:40.

onshore wind, I set out are accepted a second reading to be introduce

:57:41.:57:43.

clauses that were removed and the other place. This was a clear

:57:44.:57:47.

government commitment, and I am pleased to see these provisions put

:57:48.:57:52.

back. Madam Deputy Speaker, let me be exposed. This bill and a

:57:53.:57:57.

manifesto commitment. Clause 79 helps to implement that commitment

:57:58.:58:03.

to its new public subsidies for onshore wind. Onshore wind has

:58:04.:58:07.

deployed successfully to date, but without control that is the risk of

:58:08.:58:10.

over the appointment beyond the range that we have set for 2020, the

:58:11.:58:15.

range that we have considered affordable. Over the appointment

:58:16.:58:20.

would potentially add extra costs to consumer bills or reduce the amount

:58:21.:58:24.

support available to less mature technologies such as offshore wind

:58:25.:58:29.

that need help to bring their costs down. Just as public subsidies have

:58:30.:58:33.

brought down the cost of onshore wind. To protect investor

:58:34.:58:37.

confidence, we have also inserted Clause 80, which sets out a

:58:38.:58:41.

legislation and grace period for those projects meeting certain

:58:42.:58:46.

conditions as of June the 18th of last year. This allows such projects

:58:47.:58:50.

to continue to seek accreditation under the renewables obligation

:58:51.:58:54.

after the early closure date. Madam Deputy Speaker, I will also

:58:55.:58:58.

introduce a Clause relevant to Northern Ireland. Every means in a

:58:59.:59:01.

position that consumers in Great Britain should not bear the cost of

:59:02.:59:04.

Northern island providing additional support to onshore wind. We have

:59:05.:59:08.

been clear about this pick up the process. The intent of

:59:09.:59:22.

Madam Deputy Speaker this government is committed to the climate change

:59:23.:59:26.

act in our target to reduce emissions by 80% by 2050. We will

:59:27.:59:32.

meet our obligations and responsibilities by setting the

:59:33.:59:34.

fifth carbon budget by the end of June this year, covering the period

:59:35.:59:41.

220 2028-2032. As the committee on climate change has that, while we

:59:42.:59:45.

are on course to me be second and third carbon budgets, the fourth

:59:46.:59:48.

carbon budget is going to be tough to achieve, and we will set out our

:59:49.:59:52.

proposals for meeting our targets in our newly emissions reduction plan.

:59:53.:59:56.

Our working assumption is that this will be published at the end of this

:59:57.:00:00.

year. Work on the fifth carbon budget is well under way across

:00:01.:00:04.

government and has been progressing for over a year. I understand the

:00:05.:00:08.

intentions of those website to amend this bill to change the way we count

:00:09.:00:11.

our been omissions for the purposes of the fifth carbon budget, and of

:00:12.:00:15.

course it is right that we keep our accounting practices under review.

:00:16.:00:20.

I'm afraid that to have excepted the amendment to the bill on this point

:00:21.:00:24.

I'm at this far into the fifth carbon budget process would have

:00:25.:00:29.

rest serious delay at a time when the UK should show clear decisive

:00:30.:00:33.

leadership in the aftermath of the Paris crime attains conference.

:00:34.:00:37.

Before I conclude, Madam Deputy Speaker I was too express my thanks

:00:38.:00:42.

to those that supported the proper scrutiny of this bill. Firstly to my

:00:43.:00:47.

team on the front bench, the Minister of State for energy and

:00:48.:00:49.

climate change, who has expertly steered this bill through the house

:00:50.:00:53.

and to Lord Bob for his management of the bill and the other place. I

:00:54.:00:59.

would like to thank my honourable friend for Blackpool North and

:01:00.:01:01.

quickly, South East Cornwall for their excellent contribution and

:01:02.:01:07.

support. We are very grateful. And I express my gratitude to members on

:01:08.:01:10.

the opposition benches for their measured approach to the scrutiny of

:01:11.:01:14.

this bill. Is there Tuesday that there have been moments of

:01:15.:01:18.

disagreement -- is there Tuesday, but we have also agreed on many

:01:19.:01:22.

issues including the need to swiftly complete the work started in the

:01:23.:01:26.

previous Parliament to implement fully the recommendations of the

:01:27.:01:30.

Wood review. I therefore think the honourable members for Wigan,

:01:31.:01:32.

Southampton, test on a north-south, Brent North, Aberdeen South and go

:01:33.:01:38.

Rich Preston and felt so for their considers grooming. -- considers

:01:39.:01:47.

Britney. I am grateful to wear their participation in India outside the

:01:48.:01:49.

chamber would have been very helpful. Ring the passage of this

:01:50.:01:53.

bill my colleagues and I have listened carefully and where

:01:54.:01:57.

appropriate we have made amendments or added details to provisions.

:01:58.:02:02.

However, on the fundamental purpose of the provisions, we had and intend

:02:03.:02:09.

to stand firm on our commitments. Question is to the bill being now

:02:10.:02:16.

read a third time. Thank you very much Madam Deputy Speaker. Before

:02:17.:02:18.

the house we have an energy bill that would be important exception of

:02:19.:02:24.

the North Sea industries has absolutely nothing to say about the

:02:25.:02:28.

major energy challenges that we face. It is a missed opportunity to

:02:29.:02:32.

mend our broken energy market and to make good on the promise that the

:02:33.:02:37.

Prime Minister gave warriors ago and he told this house he would

:02:38.:02:41.

legislate to but every household in Britain onto the cheapest energy

:02:42.:02:45.

tariff. And it's extraordinary that during the passage of this bill, we

:02:46.:02:48.

have learned about this broken promise has caused written's

:02:49.:02:53.

household and actual .7 billion every year and that once again this

:02:54.:02:58.

energy bill led by the government lets the energy companies off the

:02:59.:03:04.

hip -- 1.7 billion. Despite our best efforts, Madam Deputy Speaker it if

:03:05.:03:07.

I link you on the growing risk of power shortages which is astonishing

:03:08.:03:11.

when official figures for national grades show that this winter written

:03:12.:03:16.

to be forced to rely on that that measures and imports from abroad

:03:17.:03:20.

just to keep the lights on. During committee stage, we sought to

:03:21.:03:23.

address this and we sought to address this especially given the

:03:24.:03:28.

doubt that has been cast over Hinkley point the comedy failure of

:03:29.:03:33.

which would blow a major hole in the government's energy policy. But

:03:34.:03:37.

where is the plan B, Madam Deputy Speaker? Not in this bill. And

:03:38.:03:41.

against this background of failure, the failure to get new power

:03:42.:03:47.

stations built, it is such a shame that ministers rejected at our

:03:48.:03:51.

attempt to try and amend the bill to correct this failure and to

:03:52.:03:54.

incentivize a number of new gas plants by changing the design of the

:03:55.:03:59.

failing and expensive capacity markets gained. Our proposal would

:04:00.:04:03.

also have had the benefit of ending the absurd product is of increasing

:04:04.:04:07.

household energy bills to provide generous hand-outs do dirty diesel

:04:08.:04:12.

generators. So now there is nothing at all in this bill that will help

:04:13.:04:18.

to address the power crunch and secure investment in new power

:04:19.:04:22.

stations we so urgently and badly need. I thoroughly will give way.

:04:23.:04:26.

Cammy honourable ladies just remind the House why when Labour was in

:04:27.:04:30.

office for so many years they did not take any decisions to put in new

:04:31.:04:37.

capacities? Oi is wrong not only on the spot on a number of other things

:04:38.:04:40.

but let me stick to the point that he raised. To give you the example

:04:41.:04:44.

of think we point the ill of labour in office that actually initiated

:04:45.:04:49.

the new nuclear process, six years on from David Cameron taking office.

:04:50.:04:52.

We have not seen any progress on that at all. And in fact I'm the

:04:53.:04:59.

only new gas station under this government was initiated and

:05:00.:05:01.

commissioned by the last Labour government so he is wrong on this,

:05:02.:05:07.

as in so many other things. And remarkably, this bill will actually

:05:08.:05:11.

make our energy security issues were and that is because it seeks to shut

:05:12.:05:15.

down a year early, a major energy investment team that has been

:05:16.:05:18.

successfully helping to get wind farms built. When farms are already

:05:19.:05:24.

providing a substantial amount of electricity, enough power for more

:05:25.:05:28.

than 8 million homes every year. But in this ideological crusade against

:05:29.:05:33.

Green energy, the government don't want to increase this number even if

:05:34.:05:36.

that means that they are sending our power supply into the right, and

:05:37.:05:42.

they can protest, Madam Deputy Speaker but the reality is in front

:05:43.:05:46.

of us. Not just the rough on the side of the house to see but for

:05:47.:05:50.

their constituents to seek and to pay the price also and this is even

:05:51.:05:55.

if it means retrospectively walking projects that are well advanced 3-D

:05:56.:05:58.

development process even it means ruling out one of the cheapest

:05:59.:06:03.

energy options available to us, and celebrating their manifesto promised

:06:04.:06:09.

to cut emissions as cheaply as possible. Madam Deputy Speaker,

:06:10.:06:12.

every single one of the amendments we have sought to make to this bill

:06:13.:06:15.

have been about attracting new investment into new energy .txt to

:06:16.:06:21.

create jobs and to improve our energy security and yet the

:06:22.:06:26.

government has rejected all of them. Energy UK, the trade body that

:06:27.:06:30.

represent businesses across the set are recently called for more clarity

:06:31.:06:34.

from government about what is expected from companies in terms

:06:35.:06:37.

every do think our been pollution. They've said it is even told that

:06:38.:06:42.

the industry get a clear signal of the focus, direct in and beat of

:06:43.:06:48.

travel to 2030 and beyond. It is hardly surprising that they want

:06:49.:06:51.

more clarity because while ministers talk about their action on climate

:06:52.:06:56.

change, they're simultaneously dismantling the clean energy schemes

:06:57.:06:58.

that can help to address this problem, and we proposed to amend

:06:59.:07:04.

this bill to respond to the call from business leaders by offering,

:07:05.:07:09.

by requiring the secretary of state to offer clarity over the direction

:07:10.:07:13.

of the speed of emissions reductions to 2030 and the government rejected

:07:14.:07:16.

it. Together with other parties from across this house, we try to close a

:07:17.:07:20.

loophole that would enable ministers to swear this circle group carbonate

:07:21.:07:25.

counting -- accounting tricks and this move was rejected also. All of

:07:26.:07:31.

this, all of this, all of this means more uncertainty for in investors

:07:32.:07:37.

and not less. I welcome the fact that the government has accepted the

:07:38.:07:42.

principle but forward by the Arnold member for Doncaster North, but

:07:43.:07:46.

ultimately very must build a carbon neutral economy and I welcome the

:07:47.:07:50.

spirit in which they accepted his amendment. But I also welcome the

:07:51.:07:53.

basis on which they excepted its amendment, which is that we have to

:07:54.:07:58.

develop a strategy that gives a clear signal to the top businesses

:07:59.:08:03.

who are supporting his campaign as well as the leading environmental

:08:04.:08:06.

containers who have shown that energy policy need be so contentious

:08:07.:08:12.

because the truth is that few in this country beyond the conservative

:08:13.:08:17.

backbench visit doubt the need to out on emissions. Only today Nasa

:08:18.:08:22.

reported shocking levels of global warming and one top scientists said

:08:23.:08:26.

this morning we are in a climate emergency now. But despite the

:08:27.:08:30.

energy Secretary's words today, people will be left scratching their

:08:31.:08:33.

hats over what exactly is the government's plan to make good on

:08:34.:08:38.

this new commitment and the promises that the Prime Minister made at the

:08:39.:08:41.

historic Paris summit in December. Take carbon capture and storage, the

:08:42.:08:46.

government's own advisers say without this cutting edge

:08:47.:08:49.

technology, the cost of achieving emission reduction in Britain could

:08:50.:08:54.

double. Some experts say that without this technology, making good

:08:55.:09:00.

on the Bears agreement may even be impossible, yet shamefully as the

:09:01.:09:03.

member for Stockton North said, the Chancellor pulled the rug away from

:09:04.:09:06.

business is war on the cusp of pioneering CCS projects in Yorkshire

:09:07.:09:12.

and Scotland. Investment gone, jobs gone. The possibility of a new

:09:13.:09:17.

maritime industry in our North Sea put on hold and that is why we

:09:18.:09:22.

proposed a comprehensive new CCS strategy that be required within a

:09:23.:09:26.

year to try and undo the damage caused by that decision and despite

:09:27.:09:31.

strong rise party support, that reasonable proposal was rejected.

:09:32.:09:35.

When this bill arrived here from the other house, it within a much better

:09:36.:09:39.

state than we now find it. It makes it very difficult for us to support

:09:40.:09:45.

it this evening. But, Madam Deputy Speaker, the low oil price means

:09:46.:09:48.

that our North the industry is garbled in need of and deserving of

:09:49.:09:54.

our support -- both in need of and deserving. We have all benefited

:09:55.:09:58.

from the revenues produced from the North Sea in better times and we

:09:59.:10:02.

only to them to support them now that times are hard. This bill does

:10:03.:10:08.

contain important measures to act on the recommendations of the wood

:10:09.:10:12.

review, and we can support workers in this crucial sector of our

:10:13.:10:17.

economy. Yesterday, with my support, colleagues in Scottish Labour

:10:18.:10:20.

rightly called for the government to go further and invest directly in

:10:21.:10:26.

strategically important offshore assets in the North Sea. I hope the

:10:27.:10:30.

energy secretary will support this, the fact is that there are

:10:31.:10:33.

substantial reserves that remained unexploited and it's essential that

:10:34.:10:37.

we work on cross party basis to support investment in these untapped

:10:38.:10:42.

opportunities. For this reason alone we will not oppose this bill

:10:43.:10:48.

tonight. But, I say to the energy secretary that the poverty of

:10:49.:10:51.

ambition that is encapsulated by this bill is both increasingly clear

:10:52.:10:58.

and increasingly untenable. To dismantle plan and with no plan B to

:10:59.:11:03.

set in its place, to dock the challenges of the coming century and

:11:04.:11:07.

to separate's based against the opportunities that the coming

:11:08.:11:12.

century events, and I would like to thank the honourable member for

:11:13.:11:16.

Southampton Test for Noris about and Barbara North and together we will

:11:17.:11:20.

look to ministers in the future to do so much better than that. John

:11:21.:11:28.

Redwood. Madam Deputy Speaker, I welcome this bill because I think it

:11:29.:11:31.

is an attempt to deal with some of the damage that has regulated in

:11:32.:11:37.

recent years from labour's policies and government when they were

:11:38.:11:41.

married negligent of the need for more energy and for the dirty

:11:42.:11:45.

supply. And because of some of the interventions also made by the

:11:46.:11:49.

European Union. And I certainly welcome the cross party attempts to

:11:50.:11:55.

breathe some life into the North Sea industry. This has been a crucial

:11:56.:12:00.

industry over many years for us, it is going through a troubled time as

:12:01.:12:04.

many pointed out. And anything that can be done IV oil and gas Authority

:12:05.:12:09.

on the government directly is to be welcomed, I would have thought now

:12:10.:12:12.

is a good time for example to remove the Trillium revenue tax, and

:12:13.:12:19.

unpleasant tax introduced by the Labour Party. It does not yield any

:12:20.:12:24.

revenue at the moment and it would be a good time to get rid of it as a

:12:25.:12:28.

gesture showing when the good times return we do not want to protect, we

:12:29.:12:31.

just want normal profit tax and revenue tax on North Sea activities.

:12:32.:12:34.

And I hope he Chancellor will bear in mind the needs of the industry in

:12:35.:12:38.

forthcoming budget because there are things that can be done on the tax

:12:39.:12:41.

side to promote more investment against the background of a very

:12:42.:12:46.

weak oil price which is no great incentive for making new things

:12:47.:12:51.

happen. I hope that this bill will make a contribution to taking

:12:52.:12:56.

seriously the issue of security supply. The government regularly

:12:57.:13:01.

tells us that it wishes our country to be secure and that is a name

:13:02.:13:04.

which I hope we shared across the chamber. One of the important ways

:13:05.:13:09.

in which a country can become more secure is if they controlled energy

:13:10.:13:14.

resources. United Kingdom is a relatively privileged country

:13:15.:13:19.

geographically because it does have potential reserves of oil and gas

:13:20.:13:23.

and coal on a rehab recently discovered the likelihood of new gas

:13:24.:13:27.

reserves onshore which should be available to exploit in a sensible

:13:28.:13:33.

way. As well as having plenty of water around so that we can have our

:13:34.:13:39.

Job type renewables which are genuinely renewable and are

:13:40.:13:41.

continuously available on my queen which is very unreliable. We have a

:13:42.:13:47.

good debate about that earlier. -- I might wind which is unreliable. I

:13:48.:13:51.

just as the government goes about implementing this bill they will

:13:52.:13:54.

have the security of supply at the forefront of his mind. Where does

:13:55.:14:02.

the security of supply line in the Prime Minister flying to Paris to

:14:03.:14:09.

ask the French president to fund a nuclear power station that will

:14:10.:14:13.

supply 7% of electricity and quite clearly France is not going to do

:14:14.:14:19.

that was? That is something that has to be worked out between the

:14:20.:14:22.

contracting parties, not something I have been urging them to do. I wish

:14:23.:14:26.

them well with whatever negotiations are under way. I do accept that if

:14:27.:14:29.

they can't find a way of producing relatively sensible price power

:14:30.:14:36.

under a nuclear station and has also is of advantages for the security

:14:37.:14:39.

supply and I assume they will make sure that all the technology and the

:14:40.:14:43.

ability to control repair, maintain that station will rest in the United

:14:44.:14:48.

Kingdom that you only have true security if you control the

:14:49.:14:52.

technology and have the industrial resources to be able to build and

:14:53.:14:58.

amended the facility that you are creating, we also need to bear in

:14:59.:15:01.

mind weapons procurement as well. As a few wish to have a secure country

:15:02.:15:06.

you need to have and it industry that can support it and is capable

:15:07.:15:10.

and adversity of seeing you through. You cannot rely on imports for

:15:11.:15:15.

everything. But in this crucial area of energy we are relying too much on

:15:16.:15:18.

imports already, and I hope this bill will help us it off the habit

:15:19.:15:22.

of thinking that we cannot magically rely on French electricity were

:15:23.:15:25.

Russian gas indirectly through the European system. And on that point

:15:26.:15:32.

can I add also that his right honourable friend the Chancellor of

:15:33.:15:36.

the Exchequer seems bent on ending over the entire British nuclear

:15:37.:15:42.

industry after France to China. Again, Madam Deputy Speaker I trust

:15:43.:15:46.

not, I have not seen all the details of the documents. I'm sure we will

:15:47.:15:49.

see more in due course as and when more decision is taken but again I

:15:50.:15:52.

would urge my right honourable friend if negotiating such a deal to

:15:53.:15:57.

make sure that we have control of and understanding of the technology.

:15:58.:16:02.

I see some not on the front bench that that is exactly what they have

:16:03.:16:05.

in mind. You do not have secure power if you are dependent on people

:16:06.:16:09.

abroad to maintain your station and other crucial moments you do not

:16:10.:16:13.

understand how to mend it, improve it or make it function. So of course

:16:14.:16:18.

we need to probe to make sure the government is doing the right thing,

:16:19.:16:22.

but you only get that security the control the technology. Let me go

:16:23.:16:25.

back to the prior point about security through the import and our

:16:26.:16:30.

own capability. I think we are becoming too dependent on imported

:16:31.:16:33.

power and we do have to remember that our imports are to come from

:16:34.:16:37.

the European continent it is an area start of energy in general with a

:16:38.:16:41.

policy to make energy scares and expensive. But a confident in the

:16:42.:16:47.

West does not get on very well of water didn't and indirectly relies

:16:48.:16:51.

on Vladimir goodbyes and I gasped. This is not a strong suit he did

:16:52.:16:55.

this and to be in and I want our country not to be in any way

:16:56.:17:01.

relating on his gas or the general network on the continent which is

:17:02.:17:05.

clearly weakened by the necessity to have Russian supplies in the eastern

:17:06.:17:11.

part of the system. So, the UK as an island nation with access to such

:17:12.:17:15.

riches both onshore and offshore and with the ability to generate more

:17:16.:17:19.

genuine renewables that art continuously available, should be

:17:20.:17:23.

able to have secure supply and have sufficient capacity and reserved

:17:24.:17:30.

when arises. We wish to be a greater industrial power than we are, we are

:17:31.:17:34.

the fifth largest economy in the world, but we are very dependent on

:17:35.:17:38.

a very big service vector and our industrial sector under government

:17:39.:17:41.

of all persuasions in the last 30 years has strong as a proportion. We

:17:42.:17:45.

slap some great companies and technology but we need more of them,

:17:46.:17:49.

we need to broaden the industrial base. And in order to have that

:17:50.:17:54.

capability so that we can make our own power stations, our own

:17:55.:17:57.

generators, our own engines, we need to make sure that we have sufficient

:17:58.:18:03.

and cheap energy to fuel bills factories and those forges and

:18:04.:18:06.

facilities and blast furnaces so that we have the capability over

:18:07.:18:10.

Britain. And we meet tonight against the background of our skill energy

:18:11.:18:14.

gravely at risk. One of the main contributing factors of the rest on

:18:15.:18:18.

our steel industry is scares and dear energy. There are also chronic

:18:19.:18:24.

problems with steel prices and Chinese competition but he began

:18:25.:18:27.

with an energy problem and you cannot hope to be one of the big

:18:28.:18:31.

world forces and energy intensive industries if you do not have more

:18:32.:18:36.

plentiful energy at cheaper prices. So, Madam Deputy Speaker I wish this

:18:37.:18:41.

bill well, I wish the Secretary of State well, I think the government

:18:42.:18:43.

must have as its fundamental aim security of supply because without

:18:44.:18:49.

secure energy on a country is very limited in its foreign-policy

:18:50.:18:53.

options and has to tailor its the accordingly. ICS becoming too

:18:54.:18:58.

dependent as we wish to correct our payments, getting into energy

:18:59.:19:02.

service will be a very good contribution to that aim as well as

:19:03.:19:06.

strengthening our diplomatic and political security. As we wish to

:19:07.:19:10.

re-industrialized, we need more and cheaper energy. We are not going to

:19:11.:19:14.

get more and cheaper energy on a diet of wind farms and regulated the

:19:15.:19:20.

noble technologies that are not yet available and are very expensive and

:19:21.:19:24.

it to cool to scale up. We can get that affordable energy if we extract

:19:25.:19:30.

the oil gas and coal, process it in an environmentally friendly way to

:19:31.:19:33.

the extent that you can, if we have more gas turbine power stations, if

:19:34.:19:39.

we have more reliable base powered nations we are going to leave

:19:40.:19:42.

ourselves vulnerable and insecure if we depend on a combination of

:19:43.:19:46.

European imports and too much wind farms. So, maybe well and gas agency

:19:47.:19:51.

do well, the authority do well, may it find ways of bringing on stream

:19:52.:19:58.

the new reserves which we are discovering and may also find ways

:19:59.:20:02.

of extending the lines of the existing fields and existing pool of

:20:03.:20:07.

talent and expertise that we have particularly in Scotland, where we

:20:08.:20:16.

need them still. Thank you, Madam Deputy Speaker. I think this process

:20:17.:20:22.

is or myself been one of learning, and working out as you go along. I

:20:23.:20:25.

would like to pay banks to my honourable friend for helping me

:20:26.:20:31.

learn as we go along. It's been an interesting process and one in which

:20:32.:20:35.

I am happy I will not be repeating anytime soon. Throughout this

:20:36.:20:43.

process is natural in a political environment that we do focus on that

:20:44.:20:47.

which divides us and there has been some significant and in certain

:20:48.:20:51.

cases profound division on aspects of this bill. I do not wish to go

:20:52.:20:55.

back into that at this stage, I think the process and discussions we

:20:56.:21:00.

have had repeatedly roundabout onshore wind are a matter of record.

:21:01.:21:04.

The last thing I would say is I'm aware that this will go back to the

:21:05.:21:09.

House of Lords and a final plea to the Secretary of State to look once

:21:10.:21:12.

again at some of the issues around about this tunnel we accept it as

:21:13.:21:18.

something that the government has a mandate to do. We disagree with how

:21:19.:21:24.

it's been done but if it's possible, please make it be done in the best

:21:25.:21:28.

way possible. If there are concessions to be made in the Lord

:21:29.:21:31.

leads do that and they doing out the benefits that can be done in terms

:21:32.:21:34.

of that. I would also save through this debate we have had some very

:21:35.:21:40.

good suggestions from a number of sides and individual contributions.

:21:41.:21:46.

The government has said that they are prepared to listen to a number

:21:47.:21:49.

of these suggestions and generally speaking there has been an

:21:50.:21:53.

open-mindedness to be suggestions from honourable members across the

:21:54.:21:57.

house and a suggestion that perhaps now is not the time for that to take

:21:58.:22:01.

place. The time will come soon, and I would hope that that is a genuine

:22:02.:22:05.

open-mindedness to some of these suggestions, particularly from my

:22:06.:22:07.

point of view, the suggestions around about making sure that we

:22:08.:22:15.

make the most of the situation and the opportunities arising at

:22:16.:22:17.

decommissioned but I do think we need to create a stable and sensible

:22:18.:22:22.

platform to ensure that the United Kingdom can develop carbon capture

:22:23.:22:27.

and storage industry. I would like to focus on that this debate that

:22:28.:22:31.

has received the least focus but from my point of view is the most

:22:32.:22:35.

important and that is the creation of a oil and gas industry. For

:22:36.:22:42.

something that has created broadly speaking unity across the South is

:22:43.:22:46.

impressive in and of itself but what is perhaps more impressive to me is

:22:47.:22:51.

that Aberdeen and in the Northeast of Scotland and as far as I can tell

:22:52.:22:55.

the oil and gas industry at the length and breadth of the United

:22:56.:22:58.

Kingdom there is a genuine sense that the OGA is the correct body,

:22:59.:23:03.

broadly speaking with the correct tools at its disposal or so want

:23:04.:23:08.

this bill has been completed at passage and properly equipped, there

:23:09.:23:13.

is also great and tremendous support for Andy Samuel and his team in and

:23:14.:23:17.

the work they're doing and I would like to pay tribute to him and all

:23:18.:23:23.

of his staff. The oil and gas authority was envisaged in very

:23:24.:23:27.

different times am I think the role that Andy Samuel and his team have

:23:28.:23:31.

taken on was not what they expected and they have taken to it

:23:32.:23:36.

impressively, with seared determination and had taken the

:23:37.:23:38.

industry with them on a journey that I think none of them were begging to

:23:39.:23:42.

go. The word they have done which is not really within it dot to foster

:23:43.:23:48.

the collaborative peer at the industry needs if it is to ride out

:23:49.:23:51.

this time is to be commended. That is how this industry is a will

:23:52.:23:59.

survive. It is by working more constructively together, by stomping

:24:00.:24:01.

some of the needless competition that adds unnecessarily to cost,

:24:02.:24:08.

merely for the sake of differentiating themselves from

:24:09.:24:12.

their competitors. The industry was a bright with vibrantly daft

:24:13.:24:18.

practice that in Deputy Speaker, in terms of unnecessary... And by

:24:19.:24:22.

bringing people together and facilitating the exchange of ideas

:24:23.:24:29.

in a constructive way, the OGA has a major, major part to play in that.

:24:30.:24:32.

It interesting that it has that's the support of this house but it

:24:33.:24:37.

also has the support of the trade unions. It has the support of the

:24:38.:24:40.

large and small players in the industry. This is something that we

:24:41.:24:45.

need to continue, we need to maintain and I hope and wish the OGA

:24:46.:24:49.

well in that effort. Do we have to recognise that the OGA was formed

:24:50.:24:54.

and in implementing the wood review which has had cross party support as

:24:55.:24:57.

well, they come from different times. The report was commissioned

:24:58.:25:04.

and completed at a time when oil was trading above $100 a barrel. We

:25:05.:25:08.

cannot accept Madam Deputy Speaker or expect the creation and the

:25:09.:25:14.

formalisation of the OGA's powers to be enough to solve the difficulties

:25:15.:25:18.

of oil and gas industry at this moment in time. I welcome the

:25:19.:25:24.

comments from the member around about the need for fiscal

:25:25.:25:28.

concessions and I would expect others, and see that the care is

:25:29.:25:33.

seeking to come in and I would expect nothing less from him than to

:25:34.:25:37.

be pushing for that also. This is critical. The oil and gas authority

:25:38.:25:44.

will do what he can, industry is doing what it can. A 40% reduction

:25:45.:25:49.

in their cost has been achieved. That is impressive, more needs to be

:25:50.:25:54.

done from them, but the one thing that has not moved on since last May

:25:55.:26:00.

and that is the changes to taxation. That was welcome then, but we have

:26:01.:26:06.

to recognise that even then that was a different time and at $60 a barrel

:26:07.:26:12.

as opposed to 40 now. These are changing times, the oil price has

:26:13.:26:17.

been lower and lower for longer and longer than anyone expected. And to

:26:18.:26:23.

expect the taxation regime from the time of super profits to work for

:26:24.:26:27.

this base at this time would be naive at best. Madam Deputy Speaker,

:26:28.:26:33.

the Chancellor in the budget on Wednesday will have the opportunity

:26:34.:26:36.

to provide the oil and gas industry with a shot in the arm that it

:26:37.:26:40.

requires will stop that opportunity cannot be missed.

:26:41.:26:46.

Thank you very much, Madam Deputy Speaker. As we've heard, this bill

:26:47.:26:51.

is predominantly about setting up the oil and gas Authority. We need

:26:52.:26:56.

to complete this task with a matter of urgency. The North Sea oil and

:26:57.:27:00.

gas industry is facing significant challenges. There have been 75,000

:27:01.:27:04.

job losses in the past 15 months. Air is a risk that the whole

:27:05.:27:10.

community along the North Sea could be very badly affected. The UK CS is

:27:11.:27:18.

now in the basin, but the remaining reserves are significant and they

:27:19.:27:23.

are vitally important to the UK and very different respects as many

:27:24.:27:27.

different respects to be these resources are best managed through a

:27:28.:27:34.

new tripartite approach, the oil and gas Authority, industry, and

:27:35.:27:40.

Treasury working together. The oil and gas Authority, promoting the

:27:41.:27:42.

backs of my station of economic recovery. Industry, working to

:27:43.:27:47.

deliver efficiencies, building on the good work they have carried out

:27:48.:27:53.

over the past, since 2014, of securing a 40% fall in operating

:27:54.:27:58.

costs. And the Treasury, and this is a last-minute means, Madam Deputy

:27:59.:28:03.

Speaker, to provide the low tax regime that will attract footloose

:28:04.:28:10.

global investment. UKCS has so much to offer in terms of promoting

:28:11.:28:18.

energy security and an uncertain world. Facilitating the transition

:28:19.:28:21.

to a low carbon economy. And continuing to be the cornerstone of

:28:22.:28:26.

British industry. Perhaps we could have done this better over the past

:28:27.:28:33.

50 years. To do so now, it is vitally important that the ODA

:28:34.:28:37.

promotes collaboration the whole time. It must be ingrained in their

:28:38.:28:43.

DNA. It is not just collaboration between the ODA industry and

:28:44.:28:50.

Treasury. It's collaboration with lean operations, as evidenced by the

:28:51.:28:55.

partnership of those working together. It's collaboration between

:28:56.:29:02.

operators and their service providers, building long-term

:29:03.:29:04.

partnerships and learning lessons from other sectors, such as aviation

:29:05.:29:10.

and the car industry. And it's collaboration with other sectors in

:29:11.:29:14.

particular -- in particular, offshore wind. I urge the Chancellor

:29:15.:29:21.

to consider introducing measures as encouraged in collaboration on

:29:22.:29:24.

Wednesday. Madam Deputy Speaker, the North Sea oil and gas industry has

:29:25.:29:32.

been the leading actor in the country's postwar economy. In the

:29:33.:29:36.

past, we have, perhaps, taking it for granted. And perhaps at times

:29:37.:29:43.

not managed it well. And if we had our time again, perhaps we would

:29:44.:29:47.

have done it differently. It now needs us and we must not subtract

:29:48.:29:52.

and work for it to make sure it can move forward. We must not let it

:29:53.:29:57.

wither on the vine. We must grasp the opportunity tonight, and the

:29:58.:30:04.

chance on Wednesday, to get the industry every opportunity to

:30:05.:30:09.

survive and then thrive. We owe it to those working in the industry and

:30:10.:30:13.

the communities in which they live. Madam Deputy Speaker, the final

:30:14.:30:19.

chapter of oil and gas exploration on the UKCS must not be a harsh

:30:20.:30:26.

bleak winter. It must be a good summer. Let's past this bill tonight

:30:27.:30:30.

and get on with the task of securing that summer. Hear, hear!

:30:31.:30:36.

The question is that the Bill be now read a third time. As many of that

:30:37.:30:41.

opinion say ayes, of the contrary know. The ayes have it. The ayes

:30:42.:30:51.

have it. We now come to motion number three on tax credits,

:30:52.:30:55.

Minister to move. I beg to move the. The question is as on the order

:30:56.:30:58.

papers, as many that opinion say ayes. Ayes! Of the contrary, no.

:30:59.:32:46.

Order! The question is as on the order paper on motion number three

:32:47.:32:51.

on tax credits, as many of that opinion say ayes. Ayes! On the

:32:52.:33:02.

contrary, no. No. Tell us of the ayes, and tell us of the nose.

:33:03.:39:07.

Order, order! The ayes to the right, 272. The know to the left, 228.

:39:08.:43:23.

The ayes to the right, 200 72. The noes to the left, 228 copy Doak. The

:43:24.:43:35.

ayes have it, the ayes have it. Unlock. We now come to motion number

:43:36.:43:39.

four relating to the petitions committee. Mr Bilic -- Bill Wickett.

:43:40.:43:50.

Of the contrary, no. The ayes have it, the ayes have it. Potentia,

:43:51.:43:55.

Helen Hayes. Thank you, Madam Deputy Speaker. I were the micronized on

:43:56.:44:03.

behalf of my constituents Isabel guarded and their son, Matthew

:44:04.:44:06.

Garnett. Isabel guarded is sitting in the public now read this evening.

:44:07.:44:10.

The petition of Isabel and Robert Garnett declares that the

:44:11.:44:15.

petitioner's son, Matthew Garnett, had been detained under the mental

:44:16.:44:18.

health act in an emergency transitional psychiatric intensive

:44:19.:44:23.

care unit for six months. Further that he is not receiving appropriate

:44:24.:44:26.

care or treatment am a further that he appears to be regressing, which

:44:27.:44:30.

is causing enormous distress to his family. Further that he set recently

:44:31.:44:34.

sustained a broken wrist, further that a specialist facility in North

:44:35.:44:42.

Hampton accepted his referral in August, 2015, and that Matthew

:44:43.:44:45.

urgently needs to be admitted to this facility so that he can be

:44:46.:44:48.

properly assessed and treated copied and not that an petition of the same

:44:49.:44:54.

nature has received 262,636 signatories. The petition is

:44:55.:44:59.

therefore request. This house are just the government to look urgently

:45:00.:45:04.

at this case and ensure that a bed can be made available for Matthew

:45:05.:45:09.

Garnett at this place as soon as possible and to take action to

:45:10.:45:12.

adjust the slider issue of inpatient services for children and

:45:13.:45:15.

adolescents with mental health difficulties. The petition remains,

:45:16.:45:18.

etc. Hear, hear! Petition. Appropriate mental health

:45:19.:45:41.

treatment for Matthew Garnett. I beg to move that this House do now

:45:42.:45:46.

adjourn. The question is that this House do now adjourn. Mr Ian Liddell

:45:47.:45:52.

Grainger. Hear, hear! Madam Deputy Speaker, thank you very

:45:53.:45:56.

much indeed. Can I say it is a considerable honour to be able to

:45:57.:46:00.

address this house tonight in a real pleasure I might as today is

:46:01.:46:03.

Commonwealth day. I'm afraid it strongly to a close. I think it's a

:46:04.:46:09.

highly tropical and a good time. Something I didn't realise is that

:46:10.:46:14.

my honourable friend who will be replying, is a longest serving

:46:15.:46:18.

Commonwealth Minister, for years, so he's done extremely well. -- four

:46:19.:46:25.

years. That's got to be some sort of record, so more than one celebration

:46:26.:46:30.

for he served in one place. Our Commonwealth unites 2 billion

:46:31.:46:34.

people. 53 nations around the world. Today, we have been somewhere in the

:46:35.:46:39.

fact that, even though we all come from different backgrounds, we are

:46:40.:46:42.

joined very purposely together for a single purpose. The Commonwealth's

:46:43.:46:47.

charter declares that everyone is equal and deserves to be treated

:46:48.:46:51.

fairly regardless to race, age, gender, believe, and never mind you

:46:52.:46:59.

whether we are poor or rich. These are fine principles and I will say

:47:00.:47:01.

to this house, there were welling upon. It's too easy to smite the

:47:02.:47:07.

concept of Commonwealth. The fact that he carries on successfully for

:47:08.:47:12.

so many years is a constant spasm to certain people. What is it for? What

:47:13.:47:18.

does it do? Why do we still need a? I will state my honourable friend

:47:19.:47:21.

who was the chairman will for me will say it can be very annoying

:47:22.:47:28.

annoying. Give me one reason for terracing this Commonwealth. The

:47:29.:47:32.

huge financial opportunities it can bring. I will be delighted, thank

:47:33.:47:38.

you. Thank you for bringing this to House for consideration. Everyone of

:47:39.:47:40.

us here will be able to support the Commonwealth. Duo's fastest-growing

:47:41.:47:45.

economies and markets are in the Commonwealth. With the member agreed

:47:46.:47:50.

that we can reignite our bountiful relationship with our natural allies

:47:51.:47:53.

and friends throughout the Commonwealth in the world with Mac I

:47:54.:47:59.

think the honourable member for that intervention. He is absolutely

:48:00.:48:02.

right. The startling affect from the Commonwealth from the old Empire to

:48:03.:48:06.

now and what we have achieved in harmonization, governance,

:48:07.:48:10.

friendship, has been remarkable. The point he is making, just literally

:48:11.:48:16.

going on to say, it exactly this, India is now one of the world's

:48:17.:48:20.

leading economies as a very good example. I think the honourable

:48:21.:48:25.

member for it. It is no accident the countries which follow the

:48:26.:48:27.

Westminster model of democracy tend to have ambitions to grow and to

:48:28.:48:33.

prosper. If you look at the best academic Index of economic progress

:48:34.:48:41.

among African nations, it is all the Commonwealth members that emerge in

:48:42.:48:43.

front. That is why the city of London has had a very long and soft

:48:44.:48:48.

spot for the Commonwealth. Our business and financial institutions

:48:49.:48:52.

have long legs throughout this family of nations. They need our

:48:53.:48:58.

expertise, and we may be able to reap the benefits of the prosperity

:48:59.:49:05.

it brings to our nations. Of course, I give way. Think the Member for

:49:06.:49:08.

raising the issue for the city of London. He would know that this week

:49:09.:49:12.

the city of London it's going to celebrate her Majesty's 90th

:49:13.:49:17.

anniversary I am fighting the heads of the Commonwealth to the city,

:49:18.:49:20.

which of course helps to promote the great lengths with the city has had

:49:21.:49:27.

since 1926 in organising numerous events. Does he agree that there is

:49:28.:49:31.

one country missing in all of this? And that the Republic of Ireland

:49:32.:49:34.

should come back into the Commonwealth. And be the 54th

:49:35.:49:40.

country, helping that friendship and that fraternity. Hear, hear!

:49:41.:49:45.

I think the honourable member. I think it is to say that her

:49:46.:49:49.

Majesty's trip to the Republic of Ireland has been some of these

:49:50.:49:52.

greatest success, diplomatic stories of the last two years. I believe her

:49:53.:49:56.

Majesty has now been leader of the Commonwealth for some 48 years? 42

:49:57.:50:02.

years. Something like that, an enormous time. Her Majesty has never

:50:03.:50:06.

put a foot wrong with the common wealth. 52 years, I think everyone

:50:07.:50:14.

from sedentary position, it shows my public school upbringings, I didn't

:50:15.:50:18.

know that at all. Her Majesty has absolutely been a brick, a rock and

:50:19.:50:21.

the person we have all built this around. The times that have been

:50:22.:50:26.

very bad, and good, she has never wavered for the absolute

:50:27.:50:28.

understanding of the Commonwealth. I know my honourable friend, who was

:50:29.:50:32.

today at the Abbey to support her Majesty and the service, is

:50:33.:50:37.

absolutely of the same opinion. Happy birthday, and long may she

:50:38.:50:43.

reign. I give way. Seeing as we are taking bids on membership of the

:50:44.:50:47.

Commonwealth, this might be an opportunity to put on record that of

:50:48.:50:50.

course, the white paper for independence published by the

:50:51.:50:53.

Scottish Government in advance to be 2014 referendums dated that Scotland

:50:54.:50:58.

will probably -- probably be an independent member of the

:50:59.:51:00.

Commonwealth with the queen as the head of state. People more

:51:01.:51:05.

appropriate before today come in the honourable members expressed the

:51:06.:51:08.

value of the Commonwealth and the role that we can all play in that

:51:09.:51:13.

family of nations. I expressed the XMP sentiments in that regard.

:51:14.:51:16.

Particularly take note of the relationship we have with Malawi as

:51:17.:51:23.

a Commonwealth member, so it's very important that we are marking the

:51:24.:51:29.

day with this debate. -- SNP. This is a group of nations as the

:51:30.:51:32.

Commonwealth is a group of nations. That is the beauty of this, it is a

:51:33.:51:36.

family of evil that are bound together by historical in Amelie,

:51:37.:51:39.

which have now become a Commonwealth and a trade of prosperity and I'm

:51:40.:51:44.

attending -- a family of people. The long history Scotland has got with

:51:45.:51:48.

Malawi is an example of that. Any nation can make friends with any

:51:49.:51:51.

other nation. We welcome it, we do everything we can to be part of

:51:52.:51:54.

that. It is important because it does bring that entire copies of the

:51:55.:52:03.

world, which we strive, to gather and it makes it a smaller place.

:52:04.:52:09.

Yes, of course I will. I'm grateful to him for giving way. He's being

:52:10.:52:13.

generous and he is right to be on Commonwealth Bank. This is a debate

:52:14.:52:17.

what was instigated some five years ago. I think at the time when I

:52:18.:52:21.

became founder chairman of the all party group on the Commonwealth, to

:52:22.:52:24.

have a Commonwealth debate on Commonwealth day. He is quite right

:52:25.:52:27.

to highlight both the value of the Commonwealth across the world and

:52:28.:52:30.

the importance of the head of Commonwealth, the remarkable service

:52:31.:52:33.

she has given. Woody also, today, pay tribute to the outgoing

:52:34.:52:39.

Secretary-General of the Commonwealth who has been a tireless

:52:40.:52:43.

advocate for the Commonwealth and congratulate also his successor,

:52:44.:52:47.

Patricia Scotland who will become the next secretary-general. This is

:52:48.:52:50.

an important role and we should be proud member of the House of Lords

:52:51.:52:53.

is taking this position for the first time. Hear, hear!

:52:54.:52:56.

ITB Berrer this of Scotland would be taking interest in the debate, but

:52:57.:53:01.

also might honourable friend is quite right. I should have

:53:02.:53:07.

mentioned... It is a wonderful organisation. The Commonwealth, the

:53:08.:53:10.

last five years have been very ably chaired by my honourable friend. A

:53:11.:53:19.

remarkable job has been done. Time in and out, you're in and out with

:53:20.:53:22.

the same agenda that we celebrate, a remarkable achievement. I'm going to

:53:23.:53:29.

continue, if I may, just for a few minutes, this week the city of

:53:30.:53:32.

London is playing house to be Commonwealth High Commissioners as a

:53:33.:53:36.

mark of Commonwealth day. And a subregion of her Majesty's

:53:37.:53:44.

forthcoming might 90th birthday. If you turn up at the Commonwealth

:53:45.:53:48.

house of government conference, the city of London is always there as

:53:49.:53:51.

well. Frankly, if the city of London gives the Commonwealth's backing

:53:52.:53:55.

than I suspect the rest of us should do it as well. The Commonwealth's

:53:56.:54:00.

poetry Association believes strongly in a stable government and high

:54:01.:54:05.

parliamentary standards and that he leads to confidence, investment, job

:54:06.:54:07.

creation and ultimately a better life for all people. I can find no

:54:08.:54:14.

better advocate for the continuation of Commonwealth than the very person

:54:15.:54:18.

who sat on its head since her coronation. If I may quote her

:54:19.:54:22.

Majesty, she said "The Commonwealth has the power to enrich us all. In

:54:23.:54:27.

an uncertain world, it gives us a good reason to keep on talking. "

:54:28.:54:33.

I'm into all of that. Here we appreciate the value of talking and

:54:34.:54:41.

sharing ideas. Nurturing by the Missouri government over centuries.

:54:42.:54:47.

Many of independent nations have appeared and have chose to adopt the

:54:48.:54:53.

Westminster system. Is not surprising that was Mr, with all its

:54:54.:54:58.

failings, has a great deal going for it. We learned to respect other

:54:59.:55:04.

people's point of use and develop an effective system for scrutinising

:55:05.:55:09.

laws and holding government and ministers to account. Whatever our

:55:10.:55:12.

fault, we always tried to make democracy work. The Commonwealth

:55:13.:55:18.

Parliamentary Association was established 105 years ago, to link

:55:19.:55:24.

parliamentary, parliaments, throughout the Commonwealth and to

:55:25.:55:27.

share all the positive lessons of good governance. This is a splendid

:55:28.:55:32.

admission, rightly so, but it is a very tall order. I give great

:55:33.:55:38.

pleasure to the honourable Lady. -- I give way. I'm very grateful. I

:55:39.:55:45.

think I can call him my honourable friend, and I also want to

:55:46.:55:48.

congratulate him on securing this really important debate on

:55:49.:55:53.

Commonwealth day. Would he agree with me that the theme of the

:55:54.:55:59.

Commonwealth this year, being inclusivity, is a very important

:56:00.:56:01.

thing for us because we obviously want to learn and share best

:56:02.:56:06.

practice right across the Commonwealth. It would be

:56:07.:56:09.

particularly agree with me that this is an important year for

:56:10.:56:12.

Commonwealth women parliamentarians him as we elect a new chair and

:56:13.:56:19.

hopefully a chair who will take the organisation forward in securing

:56:20.:56:21.

better representation of women in the parliaments and assemblies as

:56:22.:56:25.

well, throughout the Commonwealth? Hear, hear!

:56:26.:56:29.

I'm going to have to embarrass the honourable Lady, terribly, but with

:56:30.:56:34.

the honourable Lady's input into champion in women's writes for the

:56:35.:56:38.

Commonwealth, I don't think we will be where we are today -- without her

:56:39.:56:44.

input. She has done in the Markle job. Just this morning I shared a

:56:45.:56:47.

platform with the honourable Lady, who I will say is suffering from

:56:48.:56:56.

smite the Max like snivel. For young parliamentarians in the future. She

:56:57.:57:01.

was asked about women's issues and the way that women interface with

:57:02.:57:04.

it, not just our parliament but many others. The honourable Lady gave a

:57:05.:57:07.

very robust and absolutely correct view for younger people of the

:57:08.:57:13.

challenges we all face in this house and across the world in empowering

:57:14.:57:18.

women, but I cannot so more than the honourable Lady has been a great

:57:19.:57:23.

friend to be CPA and will be continuing to be so. I hope she gets

:57:24.:57:25.

well very so. We are talking about bringing around

:57:26.:57:36.

thousands of parliamentarians from a hundred different lawmaking bodies.

:57:37.:57:39.

Someone suggestions and practices all their own and others relatively

:57:40.:57:42.

new and untested. And the last ten years, friends and, more than 15 new

:57:43.:57:47.

parliament and lawmaking parties have joined were rejoined the CPA.

:57:48.:57:53.

PG is now back in the fold after democratic elections a few euros

:57:54.:57:58.

ago, and for one that is the most recent new member that we have --

:57:59.:58:02.

Rwanda. If I was to realise the 83rd membership it would start with all

:58:03.:58:06.

zoning, and I went in the channel, just ten miles off the French coast

:58:07.:58:10.

and stretching all the way to the MBA and South Africa. In fact, I

:58:11.:58:15.

will be visiting Zambia in the next two days on another mission but

:58:16.:58:20.

obviously to also speak to my Commonwealth partners when I am

:58:21.:58:24.

there. The honourable ladies. He is making an excellent beach and ask

:58:25.:58:30.

someone who's family originates from Goa in India and also was born in a

:58:31.:58:35.

British protectorate I am well aware of the importance of a club as

:58:36.:58:40.

Groucho Marx would say, I would not want to belong to a club that would

:58:41.:58:44.

have me as a member but actually we are part of a very important club in

:58:45.:58:47.

the Commonwealth. And also we are the interface, testing not agree,

:58:48.:58:53.

with the European Union -- does he not agree, and places us in a grey

:58:54.:58:58.

position. Would you join me in thanking the staff of the CPA who

:58:59.:59:02.

organise all these visit and help the rest of the world come to see

:59:03.:59:05.

what it's like to live under a will of law in this country? I thank the

:59:06.:59:11.

honourable ladies in her background is obviously proved that anybody

:59:12.:59:14.

from anywhere can be part of this marvellous family. It is a wonderful

:59:15.:59:22.

family. She's absolutely right, there is a remarkable staff here who

:59:23.:59:26.

do an incredible job and today they have literally gone from conferences

:59:27.:59:31.

to seminars to drinks party to everything else and it's been

:59:32.:59:34.

remarkable. There's not many weeks, and I'm sure we can count him out

:59:35.:59:38.

where there is not somebody coming to town to talk, be they a High

:59:39.:59:43.

Commissioner, an ambassador or a group of parliamentarians. That is

:59:44.:59:46.

the great beauty of us. They always know that our door is open and we

:59:47.:59:51.

always love to have a conversation with our friends and our family. The

:59:52.:59:55.

CPA branch elected me chairman last year and it that the responsibility

:59:56.:59:59.

with enthusiasm but I will say with some trepidation. It is one thing

:00:00.:00:03.

glancing at the CPA from the outside, but quite another from

:00:04.:00:05.

inside and obviously getting involved in the inner workings of

:00:06.:00:12.

the CPA. My thanks to the knowledge and efficiency of the superb CB

:00:13.:00:16.

eight team I hope I managed to get a grip of some of summit. But they do

:00:17.:00:21.

deserve that and so does the whole committee of the CPA without whom

:00:22.:00:25.

the CPA would not operate will stop the work that goes in from

:00:26.:00:27.

honourable members in both this place and the other plays is

:00:28.:00:32.

absolutely crucial to the fair running of it and I am very grateful

:00:33.:00:38.

to everybody. In fact, the CPA UK has just been recognised by

:00:39.:00:41.

investors of people scheme for outstanding levels of people

:00:42.:00:44.

management am a well done. We happen to be the most active branch under

:00:45.:00:49.

the CPA umbrella and what a big umbrella it is. The sheer numbers of

:00:50.:00:53.

Commonwealth nations demands a great executive committee to manage it.

:00:54.:01:02.

There are no yes of course. It is fair and important that we have just

:01:03.:01:04.

recorded and entered as well that rate in and the United Kingdom of

:01:05.:01:09.

Great Britain and Northern Ireland to their Christian friends will they

:01:10.:01:12.

have and are the Commonwealth really put Christianity to really many

:01:13.:01:15.

parts of the world where it is today and where it is growing. I think

:01:16.:01:19.

when it comes to the Commonwealth and Christian visible badger at it

:01:20.:01:24.

and driven forward as well. That is a good point. We have had today a

:01:25.:01:28.

wonderful service in Westminster Abbey, unfortunately I was chairing

:01:29.:01:30.

one of the competence. My honourable friend was there and was attending,

:01:31.:01:36.

her Majesty obviously of his Royal highness the Duke of Edinburgh and

:01:37.:01:40.

it is a wonderful get-together. This was based on a lot of indispensable.

:01:41.:01:46.

Missionaries who in many ways jailbreak what was going on through

:01:47.:01:50.

the end days and then to the Commonwealth. You can look back at

:01:51.:01:53.

some amazing people who went to parts which nobody else would go to

:01:54.:01:58.

and that that and we still do today. Although, you have to say that in

:01:59.:02:01.

certain parts of the world there are tensions, we have got to be honest

:02:02.:02:06.

about that, but we still talk. And the Archbishop of Canterbury and

:02:07.:02:08.

many other churches work together to try to better people's lives so and

:02:09.:02:14.

we have a disagreement let's keep talking. I think your point is

:02:15.:02:23.

pertinent and absolutely correct. The rest on the belly of the CPA

:02:24.:02:27.

ensures it is geared on a steady course and falls to the director

:02:28.:02:30.

general, secretary-general and is the start of the year we do have a

:02:31.:02:34.

new man at this awareness. Some of the wider experience of government

:02:35.:02:38.

and someone who already knows the CPA inside out and has been already

:02:39.:02:44.

involved in the legal licenses of the organisation. Somebody who I can

:02:45.:02:47.

say have an enormous drive and vision to carry this international

:02:48.:02:53.

organisation forward. His mission is to make the CPA fit for the 21st

:02:54.:02:58.

century. I believe strongly, and I hope the house joins me which will

:02:59.:03:03.

wholeheartedly applaud this aspiration. It is a sobering fact

:03:04.:03:07.

that in my constituency of Bridgewater and West Somerset, many

:03:08.:03:10.

young people know little about Commonwealth let alone the

:03:11.:03:14.

Commonwealth Parliament jury Association. I am sorry to say there

:03:15.:03:18.

is a wide canyon of ignorance among young people today. I'm told that a

:03:19.:03:23.

survey was recently conducted in Jamaica to discover if young people

:03:24.:03:26.

knew who was in charge of the Commonwealth. 25% said it was Barack

:03:27.:03:31.

Obama. Perhaps it is a blessing they did not say Donald Trump. But when

:03:32.:03:35.

the pollsters asked if the Commonwealth actually did -- what

:03:36.:03:39.

the Commonwealth that most young Jamaicans but it was tasked with

:03:40.:03:43.

running the Commonwealth games. We have a lot to do. The CPA has to

:03:44.:03:47.

spread the word far more effectively and to seek and when practical

:03:48.:03:54.

support of the young. People under 30 now represent a majority of all

:03:55.:03:57.

Commonwealth citizens. We have to find ways of making our work visible

:03:58.:04:01.

and relevant to them. Already I'm pleased to tell you that things are

:04:02.:04:05.

beginning to move. Madam Deputy Speaker, the CPA has lost a popular

:04:06.:04:09.

road show designed to engage with schools and universities right

:04:10.:04:12.

across the Commonwealth. We are trying to prove that we are not just

:04:13.:04:17.

about motherhood and apple pie, while highlighting parts of our work

:04:18.:04:20.

that can capture the imagination of young people. We are showing how we

:04:21.:04:25.

can tackle corruption by using the rule of law. There's a lot more to

:04:26.:04:29.

these road shows of course, which is why the CPA is getting on top of the

:04:30.:04:35.

digital world and its weeding its message and likes on Facebook and

:04:36.:04:39.

hosting its own YouTube channel. We are all doing a great deal to prompt

:04:40.:04:44.

gender equality, much a great tribute to my honourable fair friend

:04:45.:04:47.

again. It is worked desperately needing to be done because women are

:04:48.:04:51.

still badly underrepresented in parliament across the Commonwealth.

:04:52.:04:54.

The CPA has been effective in individual chairwoman and it is

:04:55.:04:59.

bigger of the Parliament Bangladesh who has been an incredible champion

:05:00.:05:04.

to women back to the CPA and everyone else as well and I can't

:05:05.:05:08.

say I hope she is smiling at the moment because she has a lot to

:05:09.:05:11.

smile about. A remarkable person. The CPA Eley promotes female

:05:12.:05:16.

involvement throughout the Commonwealth. The women's

:05:17.:05:19.

parliamentary group and it's very positive views that a woman has been

:05:20.:05:22.

appointed a new secretary-general at the command -- of the Commonwealth

:05:23.:05:28.

as we have heard. Surely interleave the shaping of the CPA is attending

:05:29.:05:34.

for the better. I CPA died this week alone is enough to prove that we not

:05:35.:05:37.

sitting back and letting the world go nor will he ever. The UK branch

:05:38.:05:42.

is hosting a delegation for the new Canadian parliament, also running a

:05:43.:05:50.

unique international offerings on... I give way to the honourable Lady.

:05:51.:05:54.

Wood sorry, I did not mean to interrupt like that because actually

:05:55.:06:01.

I was just rising to say to him I want to picture Butte to him for all

:06:02.:06:06.

of the work that he has done. In support as the WPA and of coarse the

:06:07.:06:13.

chair of the international chair person -- the WP, because she is

:06:14.:06:17.

bringing enormous changes in CPA as is of course the new secretary

:06:18.:06:22.

general who I also think we should welcome to his post to be at this

:06:23.:06:28.

evening and we are expecting great things of them. I also want to pay

:06:29.:06:33.

to my right honourable friend because, both gentlemen have led and

:06:34.:06:39.

are leading the CPA, I think, to very very good Ings indeed and we

:06:40.:06:44.

look forward to enormous progress being made in the year across a

:06:45.:06:49.

whole range of areas to do with enhancing our systems of governance

:06:50.:06:53.

and accountability and tackling corruption throughout the

:06:54.:06:59.

Commonwealth. Madam Deputy Speaker I do apologise again I cannot quite

:07:00.:07:02.

work out what she was waving at. It's very nice to be way that I can

:07:03.:07:06.

tell you. And I think the honourable Lee again but I think we all know

:07:07.:07:12.

this is a huge team effort. I know that our secretary-general and many

:07:13.:07:16.

others take keen interest to what we do as a body but it is important

:07:17.:07:19.

that we support each other and the work that has been done, even since

:07:20.:07:23.

he has been here has been truly remarkable. Again, I do pay tribute

:07:24.:07:27.

to the entire team in the CPA because without them we would not

:07:28.:07:33.

have work to do today and he does stand and I completely made a mess

:07:34.:07:37.

of a thing earlier when he had to step in and say these are very

:07:38.:07:40.

grateful to being saved on a regular basis by Andrew. But I think the

:07:41.:07:44.

honourable Lady is right. We have a lot of work to do where women are

:07:45.:07:48.

concerned and many others and the challenges we are realistic, we know

:07:49.:07:51.

what they are, we know what we got to do to try and change it and we

:07:52.:07:55.

will continue to always strive for that because that is what our

:07:56.:07:59.

resource is. It is gender balance and gender understanding and we are

:08:00.:08:03.

doing that, I always pictured Beta the honourable ladies for the work

:08:04.:08:08.

she had done in I'm very grateful. He's very kind. The critical issue,

:08:09.:08:13.

as he rightly highlighted earlier is how the younger generation of people

:08:14.:08:18.

in the Commonwealth around the world can be excited and motivated and

:08:19.:08:23.

inspired by an ideal which did Ings buyer and earlier generation. And he

:08:24.:08:27.

gives some examples of things that he believes we can all do in the

:08:28.:08:30.

Commonwealth to help that process along? I hesitate to go on all night

:08:31.:08:39.

but it is a lovely question because it's the pertinent one. What is the

:08:40.:08:41.

Commonwealth? It's about understanding, tolerance,

:08:42.:08:46.

governance, law, order, non-corruption, standing for your

:08:47.:08:50.

fellow man or women, does not matter what you are, your background or

:08:51.:08:55.

religion does not make any difference. We are family of nations

:08:56.:08:59.

that are bound together by one common cause which is working

:09:00.:09:02.

together to make sure that we achieved what the ideals were sent

:09:03.:09:08.

out all those years ago. And I think also, to bring the very best of

:09:09.:09:13.

human nature to bear at all stages and that is what this is about. I

:09:14.:09:17.

meet the most remarkable incredible people. I know we all do. We have

:09:18.:09:21.

had our ups and downs but at the end of the day all parliamentarians are

:09:22.:09:24.

interesting and in a more than the Commonwealth and I think it is a

:09:25.:09:29.

piece to be celebrated. He goes on about the Commonwealth games and of

:09:30.:09:33.

course the most recent were held in my city, the great city of Glasgow

:09:34.:09:38.

and as well as being a celebration of sporting endeavour and peaceful

:09:39.:09:41.

competition between nations, it brings people from all over the

:09:42.:09:45.

world and particularly from all over the Commonwealth to share the

:09:46.:09:48.

cultures in one place. I think when the honourable gentleman makes the

:09:49.:09:52.

point about the practical implications of and practical

:09:53.:09:55.

benefits of the Commonwealth the Commonwealth games are a

:09:56.:09:58.

manifestation of that and ought to be recognised. Of course, Scotland

:09:59.:10:02.

while we are doing the alphabet of nations is also a member of the

:10:03.:10:06.

Commonwealth Parliamentary positions and is not a full-fledged member of

:10:07.:10:09.

the Commonwealth. I must say the very first Commonwealth games I went

:10:10.:10:14.

to was in Edinburgh as a boy. Many years ago. The Glasgow Commonwealth

:10:15.:10:17.

games were exemplary, handled beautifully. It was the family

:10:18.:10:21.

enjoying itself in many ways. The sport was incredible, it was

:10:22.:10:25.

remarkable, knows that ladders or anything like that inside. We have a

:10:26.:10:28.

very good organisation that runs it and it is always a credit. And

:10:29.:10:33.

Glasgow did an incredible job and nobody will ever take that away in

:10:34.:10:36.

I'm very grateful for all they did. Again it showed the Commonwealth at

:10:37.:10:40.

its very best, as a group of nations were very good at what they do. What

:10:41.:10:44.

other organisation has a range of games which is free of all the other

:10:45.:10:47.

things we see in so many sports tainted with. Congratulations. He is

:10:48.:10:53.

quite white to highlight the success of the gas quite right to have a B

:10:54.:10:58.

success of the Commonwealth games. How about a Commonwealth music

:10:59.:11:01.

festival because we know that sport and music are the two things that

:11:02.:11:04.

are most powerfully involving the younger generation. The lady from a

:11:05.:11:11.

sedentary position that the ball, I think the entire world plays

:11:12.:11:14.

football but I think music from a cost of Commonwealth would be

:11:15.:11:17.

absolutely incredible. So many times we have been on competent where we

:11:18.:11:21.

have been entertained so beautifully by local bands, sometimes tribes

:11:22.:11:28.

even who are quite incredible. And richness of music just crosses all

:11:29.:11:32.

boundaries, it does not matter if you can understand the words or not.

:11:33.:11:37.

It is the beat and the rhythm and all the rest and I think that's a

:11:38.:11:42.

wonderful idea. I hesitate to say to injured tomorrow perhaps we should

:11:43.:11:44.

arrange a music conference for the whole of the Commonwealth before he

:11:45.:11:48.

has a heart attack but it is a lovely idea. Again, football, I

:11:49.:11:52.

think the rules of the ball were set in this country I think. I maybe

:11:53.:11:55.

wrong on that but I think they were and again it a great level. But if I

:11:56.:11:59.

may just finish off. Lastly we were also involved in celebrating

:12:00.:12:03.

international women's day last week and that the speaker was very kind

:12:04.:12:07.

to let us have his apartment for a drink party to end it all. It was so

:12:08.:12:13.

well attended and so fascinating, the interesting and a very lovely

:12:14.:12:17.

day. Next week, there's so much in the pipeline. We are helping out in

:12:18.:12:22.

one of Africa Bath, Latin America's poorest countries. The aim is to

:12:23.:12:25.

assist in a new multiracial coalition government building

:12:26.:12:28.

effective democratic -- effective democratic systems. Working with the

:12:29.:12:33.

home office to combat legal slavery. The idea is to enable Parliamentary

:12:34.:12:36.

clerks than the Commonwealth countries to come to Westminster on

:12:37.:12:42.

the comment and learn how to adapt legislation he's back on. We also

:12:43.:12:47.

tried to get some new project off the ground like an international

:12:48.:12:51.

Parliamentary seminar and lecture reform, a cyber security workshop

:12:52.:12:54.

for Commonwealth ministers. There's even a project to open doors outside

:12:55.:12:57.

the Commonwealth and allow representatives from target

:12:58.:13:01.

countries like Iraq and Afghanistan to attend our seminars. We are

:13:02.:13:04.

trying to build something bigger, stronger and better to help... I'm

:13:05.:13:13.

so grateful to the horrible gentleman for giving way. He's

:13:14.:13:16.

really been most generous and I'm very grateful. I just thought that

:13:17.:13:21.

the list he's reading is really quite extraordinary and shows the

:13:22.:13:24.

huge diverse city of different issues that the Commonwealth prime

:13:25.:13:29.

injury Association is trying to tackle and to get really serious

:13:30.:13:35.

discussions and sharing of the good practices going on and I just want

:13:36.:13:38.

to use this opportunity to thank the staff again, Andrew and all his

:13:39.:13:42.

staff because they are extremely busy putting these very important

:13:43.:13:46.

programmes together. Hopefully with good that comes in terms of

:13:47.:13:51.

improving our governance. I can echo that. He sat in some cases have very

:13:52.:13:55.

few days to put that together. They have been irrevocable jobs. We have

:13:56.:13:59.

a superb staff and they are so willing. If anyone has a chance and

:14:00.:14:04.

want to see what the CPA is it worth looking into that world and the work

:14:05.:14:08.

they do. It's truly remarkable. But that is the future, the future is

:14:09.:14:12.

taking workshops, encouraging people to do these things and if we do it

:14:13.:14:16.

others will follow and we want to make sure people understand that we

:14:17.:14:19.

are proactive in the 21st century and we are leading the charge of

:14:20.:14:24.

proactive democracy around the world and that I think is something we can

:14:25.:14:27.

only aspire and I think the honourable Lady for her

:14:28.:14:30.

intervention. She is of course absolutely right. We are going to

:14:31.:14:34.

help abused and change the Commonwealth. And the new outcrops

:14:35.:14:39.

of democracy outside. As ever we will rely on patience and an awful

:14:40.:14:43.

lot of dialogue. But this is what the Commonwealth is really about and

:14:44.:14:46.

I would like to finish this as her Majesty put it, it's only through

:14:47.:14:50.

dialogue that we can protect ourselves against the dangers that

:14:51.:14:54.

so easily arise. When we fail to talk, only to see another persons

:14:55.:14:58.

point of view we fail. Madam Deputy Speaker. And grateful for this

:14:59.:15:07.

opportunity to contribute to the debate on the Commonwealth. I'm

:15:08.:15:13.

delighted that my honourable friend has been able to secure a slot,

:15:14.:15:18.

actually on the floor of the house and blessed with the chance and good

:15:19.:15:23.

fortune that it is an extended debate beyond the half hour that it

:15:24.:15:26.

might otherwise have been what has given opportunity for other

:15:27.:15:29.

honourable colleagues and friends to take part. I actually think it is a

:15:30.:15:37.

pity that on an annual basis, there is not a debate on a Commonwealth

:15:38.:15:42.

theme in Government time, I think to demonstrate symbolically that we are

:15:43.:15:48.

taking the Commonwealth seriously and it is an opportunity for all

:15:49.:15:52.

members in the house to make a contribution on some particular

:15:53.:15:55.

aspect of Commonwealth matters that are of concern to them. But I'm

:15:56.:15:59.

grateful when my time for the back page, business committee to give us

:16:00.:16:07.

opportunities and Madam Deputy Speaker my honourable friend have

:16:08.:16:12.

also managed to ensure that the flame continues to burn. And I think

:16:13.:16:17.

one of my aims, one of the messages I tried to put across was that in

:16:18.:16:21.

every part of the Commonwealth, we should be having a debate about the

:16:22.:16:25.

Commonwealth from whatever angle in each Parliament. That is the way to

:16:26.:16:32.

give prominence to the fact that we are all members of that association

:16:33.:16:36.

and that we believe in it. Now today I received a message from

:16:37.:16:41.

Commonwealth youth New Zealand. I don't know whether I was alone in

:16:42.:16:45.

that but it was addressed to me and I would just like to quote from the

:16:46.:16:50.

message which said today in Wellington Dixie Young people from

:16:51.:16:53.

around New Zealand will take part in the common leaders they programme

:16:54.:16:58.

will stop this will bring together a range of inspiring young leaders and

:16:59.:17:03.

community government, national and international fields and show Senior

:17:04.:17:07.

high school students that everyday people can become outstanding

:17:08.:17:11.

leaders. This is also an opportunity to promote understanding on global

:17:12.:17:15.

issues, international operations and most importantly the values embodied

:17:16.:17:20.

in the Commonwealth charter that we all seek to uphold. I would like to

:17:21.:17:25.

think that 60 young people in every part of the Commonwealth were being

:17:26.:17:29.

encouraged to come together with that purpose in mind, that we should

:17:30.:17:33.

be talking about the values of the Commonwealth, continuing to put

:17:34.:17:39.

across that message. It is certainly one of the fundamental roles of the

:17:40.:17:41.

Commonwealth Parliamentary Association by the -- as the

:17:42.:17:46.

honourable friend has said that we should be encouraging Parliamentary

:17:47.:17:50.

strengthening. Just as this Parliament was in a place people

:17:51.:17:57.

believed they could come to for the airing of grievances, we looked

:17:58.:17:59.

around the world and the Commonwealth countries so many young

:18:00.:18:04.

people, 60% of the Commonwealth population under the age of 30 have

:18:05.:18:09.

grievances. The grievances which them often from dire poverty and so

:18:10.:18:14.

on. How can they be expected to continue to believe in the

:18:15.:18:18.

democratic system unless there is advancement, unless they have

:18:19.:18:20.

confidence in the government that they elect and the work that is done

:18:21.:18:26.

was not not just because this Parliament is a fountain of wisdom

:18:27.:18:32.

but all Parliament and the Commonwealth coming together

:18:33.:18:34.

learning from each other, finding ways in which we have common

:18:35.:18:39.

interest and common practices which help to strengthen government. That

:18:40.:18:43.

is what can help to give the confidence to young people in the

:18:44.:18:48.

future that the Commonwealth itself has a meaning and that they have

:18:49.:18:53.

hope within their own countries. I will give way to the honourable

:18:54.:18:59.

gentleman. He mentioned New Zealand. Obviously, many of us in the home

:19:00.:19:04.

countries here in Northern Ireland in particular have a very special

:19:05.:19:06.

relationship with New Zealand. Our ancestors went from Ireland to New

:19:07.:19:12.

Zealand and there is a special relationship with us here in the

:19:13.:19:15.

United Kingdom and there. Is that a relationship he feels we should do

:19:16.:19:18.

more with within the Commonwealth? I feel we should. Does he feel like

:19:19.:19:26.

waves? -- likewise. None of the other country thought to send me a

:19:27.:19:28.

message which is why I was quoting one from New Zealand which had sent

:19:29.:19:32.

me a message. But of course, if we were more conscious day by day month

:19:33.:19:38.

by month about our membership of the Commonwealth and our willingness to

:19:39.:19:43.

start out the hand of friendship to encourage links between us, which

:19:44.:19:46.

happens in all sorts of different ways outside the parliamentary

:19:47.:19:49.

sphere there are around 90 organizations which are brought

:19:50.:19:54.

together over all a range of matters because of the Commonwealth link.

:19:55.:19:58.

But we need to be doing more at the political and elementary level. That

:19:59.:20:03.

is the message that I would wish to put across and the key to that is to

:20:04.:20:08.

involve more young people and we have at least gotten down to the

:20:09.:20:10.

point where there is a Commonwealth youth Parliament -- Parliament

:20:11.:20:15.

established on an annual basis but whether you call it and as Ann Li or

:20:16.:20:19.

a council or a parliament, I would like to see young people being

:20:20.:20:21.

persuaded to come together to do very much as those 60 young New

:20:22.:20:27.

Zealanders were doing today. I just want to make one final point if I

:20:28.:20:32.

may. I agree with so much that has been said in this debate, Madam

:20:33.:20:36.

Deputy Speaker. But, we are at last way to achieve in the next few weeks

:20:37.:20:42.

connectivity with one of our smallest branches in the

:20:43.:20:45.

Commonwealth Parliamentary Association and that is Svitolina.

:20:46.:20:51.

As an airstrip which I and the member for Birmingham Northfield

:20:52.:20:54.

recommended should be built after we visited the island in 1972, it is

:20:55.:21:00.

very encouraging that after 46 years, so powerful was our oratory

:21:01.:21:05.

that this at last is going to happen which will mean that we can bind

:21:06.:21:11.

closer to us and welcome them on a much more active basis and hope that

:21:12.:21:16.

they too will gain benefit and that we will gain benefit from

:21:17.:21:19.

understanding their way of life on that remote island so I congratulate

:21:20.:21:24.

once again my honourable friend, let us keep beating the jump for the

:21:25.:21:27.

Commonwealth and realise that there is so much more to do and we look to

:21:28.:21:32.

our colleagues as well as our staff to continue contributing any

:21:33.:21:42.

magnificent way that they do. Thank you Madam Deputy Speaker. I

:21:43.:21:44.

congratulate my honourable friend the member for Bridgewater and West

:21:45.:21:49.

Somerset both on securing this evening's debate and on this

:21:50.:21:52.

relatively new world as Chairman of the UK branch of the Commonwealth

:21:53.:21:56.

Parliamentary Association. Of course, following line in the

:21:57.:21:59.

distinguished was that of my right honourable friend the member for

:22:00.:22:04.

Saffron Walden from who we just heard. I also think other members

:22:05.:22:09.

across the house for their contributions to this debate. I

:22:10.:22:14.

would like to begin, Madam Deputy Speaker, by paying a warm tribute on

:22:15.:22:19.

this Commonwealth day to her Majesty the Queen who has helped to shape

:22:20.:22:23.

the Commonwealth, not for 30-40 or 55 years in this auction but

:22:24.:22:29.

actually from a 65 years. As head of the Commonwealth, her Majesty has

:22:30.:22:33.

given tireless support, playing a leading role in creating a family of

:22:34.:22:39.

nations that spans every continent, all major religions and almost a

:22:40.:22:42.

third of the world's population. It was particularly gratifying and

:22:43.:22:47.

appropriate to it this afternoon in the service at was -- Westminster

:22:48.:22:53.

Abbey, her Majesty in her 90 year as usual so loyally supported by his

:22:54.:22:57.

Royal highness the Duke of Edinburgh but also by their Royal highness is

:22:58.:23:00.

the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, his Royal highness Rick Perry and

:23:01.:23:06.

his Royal highness the Duke of York -- Prince Harry. Like the honourable

:23:07.:23:13.

member for Walters died I would also like to pay should be to the use of

:23:14.:23:18.

the Parliamentary Association, the work of Andrew for all we know they

:23:19.:23:22.

even be following this debate and his colleagues who have done so much

:23:23.:23:26.

to promote and strengthen the institution of Parliament and the

:23:27.:23:30.

commitment to the rule of law. I will say more about them later. I

:23:31.:23:35.

would also like to join in the thanks to and to the work of the

:23:36.:23:44.

Secretary-General as he steps down after eight years. I joined the

:23:45.:23:47.

diamonds are, my right honourable friend at number ten last week to

:23:48.:23:50.

thank them personally for his efforts. He has helped to hide the

:23:51.:23:55.

Commonwealth or a period of significant challenges and can be

:23:56.:23:59.

rightly proud of the important developments that have taken place

:24:00.:24:03.

under his leadership. Such as the introduction of the Commonwealth

:24:04.:24:10.

charter. Madam Deputy Speaker, in Malta last November we welcomed the

:24:11.:24:13.

appointment of his successor, the noble and learned Lady the Baron of

:24:14.:24:17.

Holland. We wish her every success as she takes at this position --

:24:18.:24:22.

Baroness of Scotland. We believe she will ensure that the Commonwealth

:24:23.:24:25.

has a stronger voice, makes a greater impact and that its members

:24:26.:24:30.

show greater unity and purpose in upholding the Commonwealth's value.

:24:31.:24:36.

It is an answer to the point made by the honourable member for the City

:24:37.:24:40.

of Durham, it is right and appropriate and good news says the

:24:41.:24:46.

father of two daughters that the Commonwealth is headed by a woman,

:24:47.:24:50.

the Secretariat is to be headed by a woman, the international Chairman of

:24:51.:24:54.

the CPA is of course a woman. So it's a pretty good start. This

:24:55.:25:00.

government recognises the great potential of the Commonwealth, in

:25:01.:25:05.

2010 the then foreign secretary my right honourable friend the noble or

:25:06.:25:09.

Lord Hake of Richmond said he wanted to but PC back into the foreign and

:25:10.:25:13.

him and what office. Ideally we had done that and that this government

:25:14.:25:17.

remains determined to ensure that the Commonwealth is reenergized and

:25:18.:25:22.

supports all its members and delivering greater prosperity and

:25:23.:25:25.

security to their citizens. For this reason, in May of last year we made

:25:26.:25:30.

a manifesto commitment to strengthen the Commonwealth's focused on

:25:31.:25:34.

promoting democratic values and development. And in November, the

:25:35.:25:39.

prime Minister led a strong UK delegation to kill them in Malta. --

:25:40.:25:47.

to a place in Malta. Our mission is clear. We aim to counter extremism

:25:48.:25:56.

and radicalisation and to help small island developing states develop

:25:57.:26:00.

their economies and boost resilience to climate change. These initiatives

:26:01.:26:04.

will strengthen the contribution of the Commonwealth and its member

:26:05.:26:07.

states in tackling global challenges. Our positioning itself

:26:08.:26:12.

squarely in the international arena, the Commonwealth yet again

:26:13.:26:14.

demonstrates its relevance in helping to address these important

:26:15.:26:17.

issues that confront us all. Some important issues in terms of

:26:18.:26:30.

climate change and in terms of addressing world terrorism. I

:26:31.:26:33.

recently visited, I understand, Maldives, where he raised those

:26:34.:26:37.

issues about the president. And when this country made different

:26:38.:26:42.

interpretations and difficulties. Those positive things are exactly

:26:43.:26:44.

what the honourable member indicated. The talk about those

:26:45.:26:49.

issues helps us understand each other better. Order, order! I'd like

:26:50.:26:54.

to move that this House do now adjourn. The question is that this

:26:55.:27:00.

House do now adjourn. Thank you, Madam Deputy Speaker. The honourable

:27:01.:27:03.

gentleman's point about the Maldives, of course the

:27:04.:27:05.

Secretary-General is sending his own representatives there. We want the

:27:06.:27:09.

Maldives Tuesday a committed member of the Commonwealth, but to adhere

:27:10.:27:13.

to Commonwealth values -- we want the Maldives Tuesday. That means

:27:14.:27:19.

just fancy, con ability, democracy, all we accept as being the norm. --

:27:20.:27:23.

transparency, accountability. We want the Maldives to be served by a

:27:24.:27:26.

government that actually adheres to those principles. I welcome that the

:27:27.:27:31.

work of the Commonwealth Secretariat and the ministerial action group is

:27:32.:27:38.

doing with regard to that country. Madam Deputy Speaker, we will

:27:39.:27:42.

continue to take these initiatives forward come up through will be

:27:43.:27:49.

hosted here in the United Kingdom in the spring of 2018. We will work

:27:50.:27:54.

with our Commonwealth partners, wider Commonwealth organizations and

:27:55.:27:56.

with the Commonwealth Secretariat under Patricia Scotland's

:27:57.:28:00.

leadership. Hosting the next meeting presents us with the opportunity to

:28:01.:28:05.

build on the progress made in Malta, to make the Commonwealth more

:28:06.:28:09.

relevant and more effective into increased its stock and standing in

:28:10.:28:16.

the world. The shared values of tolerance, respect, and

:28:17.:28:18.

understanding are central to these year's theme and inclusive

:28:19.:28:24.

Commonwealth. As we look to strengthen the partnership of

:28:25.:28:27.

nations, people in societies right across the Commonwealth. Earlier

:28:28.:28:30.

today at the prisoner of experiencing some of the diverse

:28:31.:28:34.

city and energy of the Commonwealth in the performances of the

:28:35.:28:37.

multi-faith service at Westminster Abbey. This annual event is an

:28:38.:28:40.

opportunity to celebrate all that is good about the Commonwealth as

:28:41.:28:44.

indeed Madam Deputy Speaker, is this debate. The presence of her Majesty

:28:45.:28:49.

and a significant number of dignitaries from across the

:28:50.:28:52.

Commonwealth, including the Prime Minister of Malta, the office and

:28:53.:28:56.

Kofi Annan, who spoke so eloquently, so clearly the warmth in her regard

:28:57.:29:02.

for which the organisation is held. The diversity of those who spoke at

:29:03.:29:05.

the event reflects the Commonwealth's dynamic appellation

:29:06.:29:10.

of more than 2 billion people. -- population. The UK branch of the

:29:11.:29:16.

coming wealth Parliamentary Association, my honourable friend on

:29:17.:29:21.

the Member for Bridgewater in West Somerset, plays a significant role

:29:22.:29:25.

as did his predecessor in supporting work to foster cooperation and

:29:26.:29:28.

understanding between parliaments and promote good governance and

:29:29.:29:31.

advanced elementary democracy. We welcome the work of this association

:29:32.:29:38.

and the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association Secretariat, based here

:29:39.:29:40.

in London. Established in 1911, it has made this the Afghan

:29:41.:29:44.

contributions and helping Commonwealth members to uphold

:29:45.:29:47.

democratic values -- significant competition. Also an opportunity

:29:48.:29:55.

does discuss issues of mutual interest. Return from a country I

:29:56.:30:02.

visited recently is another example of strong leadership across the

:30:03.:30:05.

Association. I enjoyed meeting dimmers of the Commonwealth policy

:30:06.:30:10.

done at Parliament Association during my recent visit to Ottawa. My

:30:11.:30:18.

honourable friend, Commonwealth Parliament Association's conference

:30:19.:30:21.

on sustainability, energy and developing. Events like this are

:30:22.:30:24.

vital if we are to take forward the Commonwealth heads of the room and

:30:25.:30:27.

meet the mandate of implementing the UN sustainable development goals. We

:30:28.:30:35.

welcome the recent deployment of Mr Deaux Secretary-General of the

:30:36.:30:37.

Commonwealth Parliamentary Association. He has an important

:30:38.:30:43.

role to play in taking forward the organisation's agenda. I welcome his

:30:44.:30:48.

vision of a strong Parliamentary arm, working in and across the

:30:49.:30:50.

Commonwealth family by delivering programmes to Commonwealth

:30:51.:30:55.

parliamentarians that underpins the respect for Commonwealth political

:30:56.:30:57.

values, the Association aims to strengthen democratic governance of

:30:58.:31:04.

our legislatures and parliaments. The honourable gentleman, member for

:31:05.:31:07.

Glasgow North, talked about the success of the Commonwealth games in

:31:08.:31:11.

Glasgow. I was privileged to have been there myself and I saw David

:31:12.:31:15.

Gergen Merck, the CEO of the Commonwealth games Federation,

:31:16.:31:21.

today. He was recounting how I think in Glasgow they have just under

:31:22.:31:25.

survey -- they've just done a survey as to the success of the games and

:31:26.:31:28.

whether people felt it was worthwhile, and I think almost

:31:29.:31:33.

universal feedback was that they would like to host, if they could do

:31:34.:31:38.

it all over again they would. It was good news for Glasgow, and of course

:31:39.:31:43.

that's moving to Australia next and I'm sure it will be a success. The

:31:44.:31:47.

talk about having music as well as board, obviously, a good point. At

:31:48.:31:52.

the gains in Glasgow, of course, the Commonwealth youth orchestra and

:31:53.:31:57.

choir must be Commonwealth music competitions, that is something we

:31:58.:32:01.

look forward to in forward them at further course. Trade is of course

:32:02.:32:04.

an area where the Commonwealth must have greater ambitions. It must be

:32:05.:32:07.

one of the top priorities for the 2018 heads of government meeting.

:32:08.:32:13.

Between now and then, we will be developing a broad range of policies

:32:14.:32:17.

relating to the Commonwealth and trade, we are working extremely

:32:18.:32:21.

closely with the Commonwealth enterprise and investment Council,

:32:22.:32:24.

which is doing a magnificent job and had a very good trade

:32:25.:32:29.

which 2000 delegates came to that, plus. We will build on that and work

:32:30.:32:34.

to bring trade visas from across the Commonwealth together more regularly

:32:35.:32:37.

to increase trade between Member States. My honourable friend raised

:32:38.:32:44.

the idea of a possible project to inform parliamentarians across the

:32:45.:32:49.

Commonwealth on legislation am including such things as modern

:32:50.:32:52.

slavery act and that is something you are also looking at. Honourable

:32:53.:32:56.

gentleman is also talked about rights and the Commonwealth charter.

:32:57.:33:03.

It is worth saying that, despite being set out clearly, in the

:33:04.:33:05.

Commonwealth charter, something of which the outgoing secretary general

:33:06.:33:12.

can be justifiably proud, as I said. Respect for rights and values is not

:33:13.:33:15.

consistent across the Commonwealth. We have to accept that. The issue of

:33:16.:33:22.

LGBT right is a particular challenge. The Prime Minister was

:33:23.:33:25.

clear about the need for the Commonwealth to seek to narrow its

:33:26.:33:31.

divisions on the LGBT issues. In that statement, Commonwealth leaders

:33:32.:33:33.

agreed on economic potential. There can be unlocked for tackling

:33:34.:33:38.

discrimination and exclusion. These are difficult issues for some, what

:33:39.:33:43.

countries, I do accept, but those same countries did sign the

:33:44.:33:48.

Commonwealth charter. Speaking at the human rights Council in Geneva

:33:49.:33:51.

last week, the outgoing Secretary-General acknowledged that

:33:52.:33:55.

the Commonwealth cannot be truly inclusive if the criminalize Asian

:33:56.:34:01.

of homosexuality is not addressed -- can migration. Decimates one of our

:34:02.:34:05.

biggest human rights challenges. We will continue to work with Member

:34:06.:34:09.

States to and termination of all kinds, to promote tolerance and to

:34:10.:34:13.

build inclusive governance and opportunity for all. These are all

:34:14.:34:17.

central to creating a truly inclusive Commonwealth and critical

:34:18.:34:22.

to developing stronger, more secure and prosperous societies. Because,

:34:23.:34:24.

Madam Deputy Speaker, it is huge potential in the Commonwealth.

:34:25.:34:30.

Recent report is highlighted, current trends, the value of venture

:34:31.:34:33.

Commonwealth trade will reach $1 trillion by 2020. As a minister

:34:34.:34:38.

responsible for our relationship with the Commonwealth since 2012, I

:34:39.:34:44.

visited a good number of Commonwealth countries. From Canada

:34:45.:34:48.

to Australia, India to Papua New Guinea, should live to be Solomon

:34:49.:34:51.

Islands, it is clear that they remain a genuine desire across the

:34:52.:34:56.

53 Member States, to see the Commonwealth progress on the

:34:57.:34:59.

important areas affecting them and the wider world today. The

:35:00.:35:03.

challenges have never been greater. But the rewards could be greater,

:35:04.:35:09.

still. It will be up to all of us, within the Commonwealth family, to

:35:10.:35:11.

ensure action is taken on the most pressing global issues. So I think

:35:12.:35:16.

my honourable friend, and the Member for Rich Lerner in West Somerset and

:35:17.:35:21.

other right, role and honourable member for the opportunity to debate

:35:22.:35:24.

this important issue today -- Bridgwater. As we go into the end,

:35:25.:35:29.

towards the end of the Commonwealth date, there are more Commonwealth

:35:30.:35:33.

celebrations tomorrow, it doesn't end there, the foreign Commonwealth

:35:34.:35:36.

office is beefing up the Commonwealth team to make sure that

:35:37.:35:41.

will be hosted here in the UK, in the spring of 2018, it will be a

:35:42.:35:45.

memorable event. I look forward to any suggestions incidentally from

:35:46.:35:49.

those interested in the Commonwealth. That they may have as

:35:50.:35:54.

to how we can make the agenda relevant, how we can make the whole

:35:55.:36:00.

Commonwealth conference exciting, and the honourable gentleman is now

:36:01.:36:03.

going to already start off with a suggestion. We were talking about

:36:04.:36:13.

the CPA as a member. But I also say that in terms of looking forward,

:36:14.:36:18.

could he ensure that the default assume these are absolutely involved

:36:19.:36:23.

in all of this and are used to help spread the message of the

:36:24.:36:26.

Commonwealth. One of the most unifying things that was done was

:36:27.:36:32.

when the assembly was established in 1990 eight -- 1998, was it set up a

:36:33.:36:36.

common love room in the SMB. I know he chuckled earlier when I made the

:36:37.:36:40.

point, but the fact that innocently that I think is good. Let me make it

:36:41.:36:47.

clear, it's not up to me or the Bridges government who becomes a

:36:48.:36:51.

member of the Commonwealth. That's a perfectly straightforward

:36:52.:36:52.

application process, any country has to fulfil certain criteria. But it

:36:53.:36:57.

is up to the secretary at and other members as to who comes in, not just

:36:58.:37:02.

the United Kingdom. That's as it should be. There are, incidentally,

:37:03.:37:07.

a significant amount of countries who have parts to join the

:37:08.:37:11.

Commonwealth. Talking of clubs, the honourable Lady says she would not

:37:12.:37:15.

want to join a club of which she was a member. Putting Mr Marks, the

:37:16.:37:18.

other Mr Marx. But the truth of the matter is you can judge a club by

:37:19.:37:24.

those who do want to become, and there are those that do want to join

:37:25.:37:28.

the Commonwealth in itself. As validation of it as a relevant

:37:29.:37:33.

institution. In terms of the devolved administrations, having a

:37:34.:37:35.

greater sight of what we are going to discuss, at the Commonwealth

:37:36.:37:39.

heads of Government meeting. Of course the United Kingdom is the

:37:40.:37:44.

member of the Commonwealth, but I have some sympathy with what he

:37:45.:37:48.

said. We don't want the schoolchildren of West Belfast

:37:49.:37:52.

thinking that Barack Obama is in charge of the Commonwealth. LAUGHTER

:37:53.:38:01.

The question is that this house do now adjourn. As many of that opinion

:38:02.:38:06.

say ayes. The ayes have it, the ayes have it. Order, order!

:38:07.:38:37.

Surely the real answer, rather than just having these sort of false

:38:38.:38:45.

states where people certainly get renewed, is to build more housing so

:38:46.:38:48.

that the very people at the moment of those on the waiting list can

:38:49.:38:51.

come off the waiting list into social housing. It's actually both.

:38:52.:38:57.

It's to build more housing and it also to check it and review

:38:58.:39:04.

intervals, whether the housing that is being provided for say a family,

:39:05.:39:10.

continues to be that need or perhaps they need something

:39:11.:39:11.

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