Speeches by Young.

“Geothermal is one of those technologies. To what extent do you think it will be part of the energy mix by 2030 and 2050?”

“We heard from the Severn Estuary Commission about its report on tidal power and tidal range energy from the Severn. Following that inquiry session, we sent a letter and got quite a disappointingly non-committal and vague response. Could you clarify today the Government’s position on the Severn Estuary Commission’s prop…”

“I congratulate my hon. Friend on securing this debate. He is making an important point. I have heard from a number of Ukrainians—particularly those from the east of the country—who cannot return home, as their home towns have been destroyed. They are looking for a more permanent solution than the temporary solution tha…”

“In my constituency last year there were 2,036 sewage spills, lasting for a total of 28,360 hours. However, contrary to the Secretary of State’s earlier assertion, we do not know the volume of that dumping because it is not monitored. What steps are the Government taking to impose targets to reduce both the duration and…”

“There are no other areas? That is the top priority; you don’t have any others?”

“Moving on to the issue of climate change adaptation, the CCC progress report on adaptation published in April said that the Government’s approach was “inadequate”. What do you think are the main areas of concern, and how would you advise the Government to prioritise?”

“You said in an answer to a previous question that you are studiously apolitical. Do you see your job as purely to present the facts about the technical risk, or do you think that you need to at least have an awareness of political risk?”

“I am going to ask you questions about climate change adaptation. Before I do, I want to ask you about risk, which is obviously part of adaptation. You have a nice background, you have a good understanding of risk yourself, I would imagine. How do you feel about communicating that, which will be important for adaptation…”

“If I can come back then, you said that it was not your role, not a core part of your role, to recommend technologies, but you do seem to have some quite clear views.”

“Much of the focus on the electrification of domestic heating has been on heat pumps. How is that focus distracting the basic message of electrification of domestic heating more generally, and should the Government be talking about other electrical heating methods, for example, infrared heating?”

“You don’t think there are any particular areas of adaptation that are more important than others, for example?”

“In rural areas such as my Thornbury and Yate constituency, it can be difficult to travel to post offices in towns because of the lack of buses. If the Government are considering relaxing the distance and access criteria for post office provision, will they take that issue into account in setting new criteria?”

“On Monday, I spoke to a constituent who works at the Jessie May charity, which provides hospice-at-home care for children and young people in my constituency and beyond. It is currently fundraising to meet running costs of £300,000—costs that cannot in any way be helped by the capital funding for hospices announced by …”

“The report highlights an ambiguity about what is said centrally by the Government and what is expected from industry. Separately from this report, the Select Committee has heard evidence on tidal range power generation from the Severn and, during visits, about innovative approaches. Does the Chair of the Select Committ…”

“I want to come back to the issue that Beth mentioned—that there was a need for changes in policy and support from the Government, which suggests that you do not think the Government is doing enough to support on-site generation and the adoption of emerging technologies. Can you elaborate, Beth, on what support you woul…”

“Do you have any suggestions for how to tackle that?”

“David, how have energy suppliers communicated changes in pricing or contracts to your business, and do you feel that those practices have been transparent and fair?”

“Staying with you, Paul, what measures are in place to ensure transparency in our domestic energy pricing and to protect businesses from unfair practices at the moment? Are they adequate?”

“We have heard that BBPA members are particularly concerned about the lack of transparency and clarity on non-commodity costs. Starting with David, how can businesses be better informed about this and the factors influencing their energy bills?”

“David, did you have anything to add, either on policy or financial support from government or on the issue of grid connections?”