Orders of the Day — Oil and Pipelines Bill

Part of the debate – in the House of Commons at 6:40 pm on 14 May 1985.

Alert me about debates like this

Photo of Malcolm Bruce Malcolm Bruce Shadow Spokesperson (Energy and Climate Change) 6:40, 14 May 1985

Because of the steps that the Government have taken and because BNOC's record in recent months has shown that it cannot fulfil a considerable function, given the Government's constraints.

If the Government think that they can get away with abolishing BNOC and carrying on with their policy of not having a policy, the people of this country will recognise that they have squandered the only asset that stands between us and bankruptcy and have failed to take advantage of the long-term opportunity that it should and could present both for the economy and for industrial opportunity.

I urge the Minister to look beyond the Bill and give us some indication of how he sees the way forward to ensure a sensible, positive energy policy—something which, I regret, he and his colleagues have never attempted to bring before the House.