Speeches by Murphy.

“Am I right in thinking that, if you discover that you are charging for a gas meter, it is capped?”

“I wanted to give David an opportunity to respond. It was obviously reported in The Guardian that, in your annual accounts, it states that there is a material uncertainty that casts significant doubt on the group’s and company’s ability to continue as a going concern with regard to the fiscal sustainability rules. Just …”

“I know you have been asking for it for years. You have been around the block. What do you think the barrier is to the Government doing it?”

“Very quickly, just to Chris O’Shea, I understand from having a look that the reason why you might not know whether you charge to have a gas meter capped is that you still charge the standing charge, even after a gas meter is capped. I just wonder whether you thought that was fair. But I will come to come to David first…”

“What is the problem with data sharing? I think that everyone around here would say, “Yes, absolutely”, so what is the issue?”

“It is under Ofgem’s proposal, I think. My question really was whether you, as a group, would require it to be higher in order to manage that risk.”

“Would there be an additional premium as part of that unit price under an abolished system in order for you to manage the risk of non-payment? Would billpayers’ bills potentially go up in order to cover your risk?”

“I wanted to ask about the standing charge. The standing charges have increased quite considerably in recent years. Ofgem has put out its proposals for reform. Many consumers feel like they are too high, regressive and not fair, particularly if you are a low energy user. What do you think about reforming the standing ch…”

“Chris and Simone, it would be good to hear from you because you both alluded to it. You have been really clear that that is the driver. Do you agree with Rachel about the solution?”

“If I can interrupt, I accept that and I am sure that that is true, but the overwhelming evidence we have received says that it is to do with the marginal price. What would you do about that? Do you agree that it is a problem?”

“Chris and Simone, you both alluded to it—you talked about the marginal price of gas setting the electricity price. What should we do about it? The written evidence that the Committee received highlights that there is a huge consensus that one reason our electricity prices are so uncompetitive internationally is that th…”

“I thank the Secretary of State for his answer and for his remarks in yesterday’s statement about the professionalism, bravery and sacrifice of our armed forces and veterans, including those who live in my constituency of Basingstoke, in their roles in Northern Ireland, across the UK and abroad. What discussions has he …”

“1. What assessment he has made of the adequacy of the Northern Ireland Troubles (Legacy and Reconciliation) Act 2023.”

“I want to add my voice and the calls of my constituents for that issue to be addressed and tackled. I have been contacted by several constituents, one of whom has lost up to 70% of the value of their occupational pension. I add my voice to those calling for the Government to do what they can to address this issue, whic…”

“There are fewer.”

“Welcome to our guests. EN-7 expects strong economic, social and community benefits, but we know that SMRs and AMRs tend to have smaller workforces and fewer visible local benefits. Do you agree with that? How would you propose remediating that and ensuring that EN-7 does deliver the socioeconomic benefits expected?”

“Yet the policy statement still expects very strong socioeconomic benefits. I appreciate that there will still be high-value jobs in the supply chain, but as you said, you used the words minimise on site. So there will be fewer jobs. How would you envisage that gap being bridged to fulfil the requirement in the policy s…”

“So in whatever site you are working, I have heard that you are not opposed to binding requirements in DCOs. I think that is what I have heard. This is my final question. An SMR might mainly serve a private offtaker, like a data centre. Do you think it is fair that the economic upside could accrue hundreds of miles away…”

“Would you welcome or support binding requirements in development consent orders for measures like local apprenticeships or community benefit funds?”

“Julia or Tom?”