Clause 4 - Amendments of the Utilities Act 2000
Sustainable Energy Bill
11:15 am
Mr Stephen Timms (Minister of State (e-Commerce & Competitiveness), Department of Trade and Industry; East Ham, Labour)
The new clause will place on the authority a broader requirement than the one that was originally envisaged to undertake and to publish both regulatory and environmental impact assessments, as was outlined by my hon. Friend the Member for Milton Keynes, North-East. I welcome and support that proposal. I cannot tell the Committee what would have been the case if the new clause had been in place before.
There have been some important gains as a result of NETA, but that is for a separate debate. It is right that the new arrangements should be in place. Environmental and regulatory impact assessments should be conducted.