Speeches by Esterson.

“What lessons are you learning from Sweden or anywhere else?”

“You will have. Do you already have some of these?”

“I could not help but notice, David Peattie, that you said late 2050s and then you said 25 years. By my calculations, that takes us to 2060. Nevertheless, how will you demonstrate over the coming years that your plans are on track?”

“Given some of the uncertainties that we have been hearing for the last three hours, what certainty can you give us that those plans will be on track in the coming years?”

“We will not pursue that point further today, but it is something that we should come back to. You may want to come back to it as well. I am sure I will. When will the geological disposal facility start accepting materials?”

“That is interesting. My Committee may well pursue that.”

“That modelling has not gone on at any time within the Department.”

“Sure, but you have been able to put a long-term, 100-year cost on it. Do you have a potential alternative 100-year cost?”

“The question follows about what sort of reduction in cost you would envisage, if that were the route.”

“It sounds like it is possible to have an alternative.”

“No, that is fine. Thank you very much, Chair. It has been fascinating, as always. Thinking about it from the point of view of the wider DESNZ agenda, I am struck again and again by the question that we started with, which is the target of 2125 and returning it to a greenfield site. How essential is it to deliver that a…”

“UK electricity bills are the highest in Europe compared to gas. Evidence given to the Select Committee suggests that the Government are absolutely right to reduce our reliance on fossil fuels, and it is a shame that some Opposition Members have abandoned an evidence-informed approach to policymaking. Can the Minister c…”

“The Minister was right to remind us that the North sea is a mature basin, she was right to remind us that 70,000 jobs have been lost there in the last 10 years, and she was right to praise the highly skilled engineers who have made such a contribution in the North sea and to the country. She mentioned the skills passpo…”

“Does the Minister agree that it is in the interests of business to see waiting lists in the NHS reduced, roads repaired and the public finances fixed? Does he agree that if Opposition parties do not agree with Labour’s plans, they should set out how they would pay for such improvements?”

“The Prime Minister was right to say in his statement that economic security is national security. The same is true of energy security, as we see in the clean power plan. May I encourage my right hon. and learned Friend to use our success in developing alternative energy technology to support Ukraine, giving it energy a…”

“I was pleased to hear the Minister confirm the importance of our energy security, in contrast to what we saw under the previous Government. [Interruption.] Opposition Members can groan all they want, but that is the reality of what was inherited in July last year. As we extend energy infrastructure in this country, can…”

“I congratulate my hon. Friend the Minister on his marathon stint and on the pragmatic and well-crafted analysis of how the Government’s energy policies will address the security of supply and provide the best deal for bill payers. This is in stark contrast to what the Conservatives did, and in particular to what my hon…”

“I thank my hon. Friend for confirming the Government’s commitment to supporting production in existing North sea oil and gas fields and for confirming the desire to partner closely with industry and workers on the transition away from fossil fuels. Does he agree that the workers and communities that rely on the North s…”

“11. What steps he is taking to encourage public bodies to purchase British produce.”

“Farmers and growers in my constituency want to sell to hospitals and schools, but over the past few years they have found that increasingly difficult, not least because of the procurement chapters in the trade agreements that were concluded by the Conservative Government. Will my hon. Friend confirm that, under this Go…”