Speeches by Esterson.

“Next week, the Select Committee will be hearing from some of the victims of the botched solid wall insulation installed under the previous Government’s energy company obligation and GB insulation scheme. That includes people whose homes may well have to be rebuilt, as the cost of repairing the damage may be higher. Wil…”

“AstraZeneca is a key partner in the Liverpool city region’s life sciences innovation zone, as is Maghull health park in my constituency, with its research and development plans. Will my hon. Friend confirm that the Government will engage with partners in the city region, including the University of Liverpool, the metro…”

“The vote of confidence by PwC, the upgrading of the growth forecast by the International Monetary Fund and the £63 billion announced at the growth summit are all indications of this Government’s successful plans. Does the Minister agree that they are added to by the clear direction on green investment in energy project…”

“I thank my right hon. Friend for her statement and for announcing the public inquiry. I want to remember Alice, Bebe and Elsie, and their families and friends. I also want to remember the other victims of the attack and the first responders, some of whom have given harrowing accounts over the last six months of what th…”

“While listening to my right hon. Friend’s statement and the shadow Minister’s response, I have been reflecting on those friends who sadly died during the pandemic. I am sure everybody in the House will have their own experiences. My right hon. Friend mentioned the need for a new national pandemic planning exercise. Aft…”

“The shadow Minister missed from his story the role of Liz Truss. When she was the Chief Secretary to the Treasury in 2017, she made the decision to close our gas storage facility. Does the Minister agree that if we want energy security and lower prices, that all depends on reducing our reliance on the volatile nature o…”

“Last year, the UK imported 43% of our energy. Does the Secretary of State agree that, as well as protecting bill payers from the volatility of international fossil fuel markets and giving us energy independence, we have the potential for economic benefits from exporting electricity and hydrogen through the clean power …”

“Sorry to interrupt, but you said you have 300. Great, but you are saying you need half as many again. That is materially—”

“You are not looking at non-CCUS alternatives, so CCUS has to work, basically.”

“Indeed. You mentioned a pipeline of projects, which relates to some of the questions we asked earlier. You didn’t mention it then, but you have mentioned it now. That is interesting. That pipeline is for CCUS rather than for other projects, is it?”

“I was wondering who underwrites the risks, but I suppose you have probably answered that.”

“I was going to come on to that after my questions.”

“I am pleased that you mentioned the 20 million tonnes of CO2 stored in Norway. Can you say how many years that was over?”

“Okay, so they have been going for 30 years. That is less than a million tonnes a year on average—is that right?”

“The National Energy System Operator has two pathways to 2030. It sounds like you are completely committed to the new dispatch pathway—is that correct?”

“That would have been really useful before today. On a related point, we have been talking about the levy payer’s contribution. Given that you are clearly very committed to carbon capture technology as part of the route to 2030—with the new dispatch or not—how can you be confident that bills are going to come down by 20…”

“Even with the levies?”

“The NAO Report says that when the Government changed their plans for the use of CCUS and significantly increased the contribution to get to net zero, there should have been changes to the programme design, but that did not happen. Do you accept that criticism and could you explain why they did not happen?”

“Okay. Your estimates are that the eight projects currently under negotiation, or beyond negotiation as of this week, will capture and store a maximum of 4.9 million tonnes per annum. That is less than a quarter of the total target by 2030. What is your response? How would you intend to make up for the shortfall?”

“BECCS is not included in your current plans, which means there are no dedicated BECCS or greenhouse gas-removal projects in track 1. Is that a problem for the 2030 target?”