13:30 Mr Ian Liddell-Grainger (Bridgwater and West Somerset) (Con)

I am also delighted to introduce this debate. I had a debate recently on this issue with my hon. Friend the Minister before the House rose for the last recess. We have moved on, but given the enormous turnout—more chairs will have to be brought in to cope—I will give a bit of the history. Both Front-Bench spokesmen are fairly new in their job—the hon. Member for Liverpool, Wavertree (Luciana Berger) is now shadow Minister for Energy and Climate Change—so a bit of history on the Hinkley Point situation might be in order. This is not just about Hinkley Point, but it is the first project under national infrastructure planning for which infrastructure money from business rates might have to be considered, so I will give a little background.

“The design of the business rates retention scheme will ensure that there will be significant ongoing benefits to those authorities hosting low-carbon energy infrastructure, not just renewable energy projects.”

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14:01 Luciana Berger (Liverpool, Wavertree) (Lab/Co-op)

This is an important debate. With our economy in the longest double-dip recession since the second world war, investment in infrastructure projects such as new nuclear is urgently needed to create jobs and boost confidence now and strengthen our economy for the future. We support new nuclear as part of a balanced energy mix that must also include renewables and carbon capture and storage. If we are to meet our climate change targets and secure our energy future, we cannot put all our eggs in one basket. A recent Institute for Public Policy Research report highlights the potential advantages of new nuclear. Nuclear is a tried and tested means of generating electricity; Last year, Dr Mike Weightman, the UK’s chief nuclear inspector, reported that there was nothing to call into question the viability of safe and reliable nuclear power in the UK.

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14:13 John Hayes (Conservative)

The hon. Lady makes a very good point, which was also made by the Select Committee on Energy and Climate Change when it scrutinised the draft Bill. We are in discussions on that issue, and the Department is drawing up that Bill, as she knows. The Secretary of State and I are both clear that demand reduction needs to be given greater emphasis. The hon. Lady, however, would not expect me to anticipate what will be in the Bill. It would certainly be inappropriate, and possibly even worse procedurally, to do so, Mr Walker. However, she can have my absolute assurance that demand reduction will be given an emphasis that it has not had previously. We have listened closely to the representations of the Select Committee and others, as well as the Opposition. Governments can learn from Oppositions—never quite as much as Oppositions can learn from Governments, but none the less, she has made a powerful point to which we will give further consideration.

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