Speeches by Esterson.

“I very much welcome the Chancellor’s commitment to investing in life sciences in this country. May I encourage her to support the bid for a national mental health diagnostics and research centre in my constituency, not least because poor mental health is estimated to cost this country up to £300 billion a year in lost …”

“I want to come back to what you were saying about your No. 1 recommendation, which is about making electricity cheaper by removing policy costs. Will delaying doing so have an impact on the achievement of your balance pathway?”

“Okay.”

“Cornwall Insight says that the Government are going to miss their clean power 2030 target. Is that right?”

“So how quickly do the Government need to follow your recommendations?”

“I am sure we will.”

“I have probably exhausted this line of questioning.”

“Sticking with the committee’s purview, have you picked up any evidence of community payments or payments to individuals that have been successful?”

“So money off bills or payments, whichever way it comes around, is beneficial as far as you can see?”

“The Government are proposing a £250-a-year incentive in response to hosting energy infrastructure, being involved or, presumably, being near it. How effective do you think that payment will be? Do you have any analysis there?”

“I understand that. My question is what planning changes are needed, given the barriers in place.”

“You have started moving on to another question I wanted to ask, which is about planning. What planning changes are most needed to help the roll-out of renewables and related energy infrastructure?”

“The Energy Security and Net Zero Committee will be holding an inquiry into the cost of energy, so we may have a further discussion on it.”

“Are you planning to pick that up in the same way as you were in your earlier answer to me?”

“So nothing on energy market reform?”

“One element of clean power 2030 is the reduction of electricity prices for consumers. At the moment, we have a system in which the cost of electricity in the UK tracks the cost of gas, because gas generation sets the wholesale price. Switching from fossil fuel heating to electric alternatives leaves consumers unable to…”

“Thank you for your explanation.”

“On behalf of those of my constituents who work at JLR Halewood, I thank my right hon. Friend for the stability and confidence that she has given to our automotive industry; it will be enormously reassuring to them. The last Government confirmed through Mark Harper, the then Secretary of State, that it was already cheap…”

“It is a shame that the Conservative Members who were heckling the Minister have forgotten their own Government’s failure to tackle the problems of high industrial energy prices. [Interruption.] They can heckle again now, but they did nothing in government. Two weeks ago, I was at the Tata steelworks with the Energy Sec…”

“The US tariffs have serious implications for UK industry. They are a reminder of the importance of the industrial strategy and Government support, including for domestic steel- making capability, which, sadly, the Conservative party neglected badly over 14 years. Will my right hon. Friend confirm that he is fully commi…”