Clause 41
Energy Bill
10:30 am
Martin Horwood (Shadow Minister (Environment), Environment, Food & Rural Affairs; Cheltenham, Liberal Democrat)
I am grateful for the hon. Gentleman’s intervention, and think that we might find common ground on many things during the debates on the clause, as we have a common interest in making the Conservative party honest over this issue. He is an unapologetic supporter of the nuclear industry and I am an unapologetic opponent of it, and neither of us believe in fudging the issue. He is right that long-term storage and the management of that storage involves responsible action by responsible Government—I think that that was the term he used. That is clearly true. We have the waste now, so we clearly have to address the issue. However, I am clear that we should avoid the nuclear industry becoming a special burden on the taxpayer, and we have to be clear on whether that subsidy is being given. We heard evidence from the nuclear installations inspectorate.