Clause 2 - Annual reports under section 1 of the Sustainable Energy Act 2003
Energy Bill [Lords]
2:30 pm
Dr Desmond Turner (Brighton, Kemptown, Labour)
May I say what a pleasure it is to serve under you as Chairman for the first time, Mr. Sayeed? Putting you in the Chair is obviously a way of keeping you out of the discussion. I hope that you do not find it too frustrating an experience.
Once again, the amendment will be redundant in practice because the clause will go, and I apologise to the Committee that I was not as sharp as my hon. Friend the Member for Sherwood (Paddy Tipping) in spotting that and tabling an amendment to the new clause in time for today's debate. I will endeavour to do that on Report instead.
Amendment No. 8 looks as if it may be just a piece of semantics, but it is not. There is a clear distinction between the research and development of a technology and its deployment. It is vital that we do not do the research and development only. We have a long and honourable history in research and development in this country, but a less successful history of deployment. It is a constant criticism of the Department of Trade and Industry that it is good at supporting research and development only until the work gets anywhere near commercial exploitation. I mean no disrespect to the Minister, but that is what people in various industries have told us.
The difference is illustrated by what is happening with offshore wind power. The technology has already been researched and developed; one can buy a turbine off the shelf. If a turbine is going to be installed onshore, there is no need for any further Government help. For offshore installation, however, the Government have recognised that further help is needed to deploy the technology and are providing that through capital grants.
Under the amendment, such deployment would form part of the report. What matters is not just that we have a technology; we want to know how many megawatts of it are in place and how much progress has been made towards meeting the renewables target through its use. That is why I specifically want to insert the word ''deployment''. I want to make it clear that the Government will—as I believe they intend to—give whatever assistance is necessary. There may be means other than simple capital grants. The Government can help the deployment of technologies in all sorts of ways. We could expand on that all afternoon, but the Committee would not thank me for doing so, so I will not.
I want to make it clear in the Bill that the Government will assist the deployment of new technologies in any of the fields listed in clause 2 and new clause 7, and that that will be reported on, so that Parliament can note the progress that the Government are making and, if it is not satisfied with that progress, tell the Government to do better, if that is required.