11:00 Mr Speaker (Rotherham) (Lab)

On this subject, will the Minister meet the UK Energy-Intensive Users Group, because its report, published this week and entitled “The Cumulative Impact of Climate Change Policies on UK Energy Intensive Industries”, suggests that without a change of course, electricity prices for the steel industry—which is very important for south Yorkshire—could rise by as much as 141% by 2020? We are all climate-changers and carbon-reducers, but not at the price of eliminating our steel industry.

Is it not extraordinary that the Energy and Climate Change Secretary can go from being anti to pro-nuclear in a matter of days, yet abandon tidal power for Britain? The Severn estuary has the potential to create 5% of our energy needs and create 100,000 jobs. How does that square with the Prime Minister’s promise to put tidal energy at the top of his so-called green agenda?

“In an ideal world, we would all like to see the scheme that has the potential to provide the maximum amount of renewable energy and the least environmental impact in other ways”.

In Scotland, some of the money for lending by the GIB will have been accumulated through the fossil fuel levy. This is money that came from Scottish consumers, and which the Secretary of State’s party promised to release unconditionally to the Scottish Government. Will the Minister press for the immediate release of the money to enable investment in renewable energy now, rather than waiting perhaps years for the setting up of the GIB?

The Chancellor announced in the Budget that the Treasury and Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs would publish proposals in the autumn to reform the climate change levy to provide more certainty and support for the carbon price, and to encourage investment in low-carbon electricity generation. DECC officials have been supporting the Treasury and Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs in developing these proposals, which will be published shortly.

Moving from housekeeping to international issues, I note that next week there will be a debate on the Cancun climate change conference, thanks to the hon. Member for Chippenham (Duncan Hames). That debate is very welcome, but until we heard some snippets from the Minister today, it underlined the fact that there has been a deafening silence from the Government in the House about what they want to achieve. We all want a good outcome, and we recognise the challenges, as the Minister said, about legally binding international agreements. Will he tell the House clearly what the Government hope to achieve in the UK, and whether they are planning to make a statement in Government time?

We hope that there will be good progress at Cancun. In contrast to the sentiments expressed earlier, however, I think it is unlikely that we will get a legal agreement. We are certainly one of the most progressive nations, and we are following the example of the previous Government, to whose work on the international climate stage I pay tribute. It is tough but, as the Secretary of State said, there are grounds for optimism that we can make progress on measurement, reporting and verification, on finance architecture and on clarifying the next steps for the United Nations framework convention on climate change to make further progress towards a legally binding agreement. I would be happy to meet the hon. Lady and her team to talk this through in more detail.

T3. Over the past couple of years, work has commenced in countries other than the UK on about 60 nuclear power stations, which will provide cheap, economically sustainable energy across the world. Does the Minister agree that this represents an opportunity for our own office for nuclear development, and will his Department support it in its endeavours to secure exports? ( 23168 )

T4. When the previous Government introduced the Climate Change Act 2008, they estimated the costs at £200 billion, which they revised a few months later to £400 billion, or £20,000 per household. What is the latest estimate of fully implementing the Act? Is there any advance on £400 billion? ( 23169 )

T5. Can the Minister assure me that he is working closely with his ministerial colleagues in the Department for Communities and Local Government to ensure that their approach to localism in the context of planning does not unreasonably restrict the diversification of farm businesses as they enthusiastically embrace small-scale renewable energy incentives? ( 23170 )

The hon. Gentleman makes some very good points. I am pleased to tell him that the Minister of State, Department of Energy and Climate Change, my hon. Friend the Member for Wealden (Charles Hendry), had an excellent meeting with members of the Northern Irish Government yesterday. We are determined that the whole United Kingdom should be able to share the benefits and the investment involved in the transition to a green, low-carbon economy.

As Ministers are no doubt aware, the Sustainable Livestock Bill will be before the House tomorrow. I appreciate that it is led by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs at the domestic level, but what is the Minister doing to ensure that the issue is on the agenda at the international climate change talks?

Absolutely. Recovering energy from waste can play a very important part in tackling climate change, improving energy security and creating green jobs. However, given the waste hierarchy, before we use waste for energy we must reduce it, and recover it in ways that have less damaging environmental impacts.

In response to a question from my hon. Friend the Member for Stockton North (Alex Cunningham), the Minister acknowledged the huge potential of Teesside and the north-east in the manufacture of renewable energy. That requires Government support, yet business support is being cut, particularly in the regions. Given the enormous potential of Hartlepool, Teesside and the north-east, what can the Minister do to make sure we realise that potential?

We have asked the Committee on Climate Change to look at whether that level of ambition should be raised. We are also examining whether we can do more through international co-operation: have some areas of renewable energy been locked out because they cannot be used for other countries’ domestic markets, so can we go further by looking at a “whole islands” approach around the British isles to maximise the resources that are available?

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