Former MP for Erewash
Even though this will be my last speech in the House after 23 years here—not for the first time, to a Chamber that is nearly empty—I shall not detain the House by adding my praise for an excellent Budget which will help those most in need and boost our economic recovery. I should like merely to express a reservation about clauses 3 and 4 which deal with fuel taxes and car tax. Although I...
How is British Coal expected to compete in the privatised electricity market when the duopoly is able to close down coal-fired power stations even though they can produce cheaper electricty than the new gas turbine power stations, because the duopoly is able to pass the extra costs to consumers? Should not the regulator ensure that the extra costs for higher cost plant are not passed to...
Does the Minister accept that large energy users who have been handicapped by a monopoly supplier for far too long will welcome his important anouncement? Will he further accept that, if we do not liberalise the market and connect to the European grid, our competitor countries in Europe will, before long, benefit from substantially increased quantities of cheaper Russian gas to which we shall...
My hon. Friend has identified the potential of £10 billion worth of energy saving a year which is cost effective. Can he give any sign of the time scale that he hopes will be achieved and what impact that would have on the energy ratio that he has just quoted?
The hon. Gentleman has spent all his speech writing off the industry in a most depressing and negative way. Is he not aware that, only this morning, the chief executive of National Power, Mr. John Baker, told the Select Committee on Energy that he had no doubt that, in view of the enormous improvements in productivity resulting from the efforts of the work force that the hon. Gentleman is so...
Is my right hon. Friend aware that clause 32 will be particularly welcome with respect to increasing competition in gas because it allows the threshold of 25,000 therms to be removed or lowered? Is he aware that half a million industrial and commercial customers have been trapped in that domestic tariff, have not been allowed to shop around for contracts and cannot aggregate their multiple...
My right hon. Friend referred to smaller firms being given the same opportunities as bigger firms to shop around for contracts. Is he aware that many of the biggest firms are trapped with the 25,000 therms limit? I refer to firms with multiple outlets—large retail organizations—which consume less than 25,000 therms but, on aggregate, are some of the largest gas consumers. Such companies...
To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what will be the total value to a two-child family of the three increases in child benefit which will have taken place in the year to April 1992.
