Nuclear Management Partners (Sellafield)

Debate between Ed Davey and Nick Smith

Tuesday 13th January 2015 Commons Chamber

[Mr Davey]

Mr Speaker, I think I understood what you just said.

I must tell the hon. Member for Brent North (Barry Gardiner) that he possibly should have listened a little more carefully to what I said. The original contract was engaged with and drawn up by the Minister who preceded the Leader of the Opposition, but it came into force when the right hon. Gentleman was doing my job.

The issue we have looked at is that of the model, which was designed under the previous Government and which we inherited. The contract that the hon. Gentleman talked about was looked at and then rolled forward, but the issue at stake is the model. We are changing the model of the management structure for the better, because the one we inherited was complex and expensive.

[Nick Smith (Blaenau Gwent) (Lab)]

The Secretary of State says that the termination fee following his decision was low, so how much was it in cash terms? Again, what was the cost of the important KPMG report?

Energy Markets Competition Assessment

Debate between Ed Davey and Nick Smith

Thursday 27th March 2014 Commons Chamber

[Mr Davey]

If the hon. Gentleman reads the assessment, he will see that the competition authorities have focused on that last point. On the market investigation reference, I have to remind him, again, that it was the leader of his party who flunked that opportunity. I also have to tell the hon. Gentleman that he should read the record, because Labour’s spokesperson in this area, the right hon. Member for Don Valley, was saying just a few weeks ago that a market investigation reference was not a good idea, that to make such a reference would be to kick things into the long grass and that it should not happen. I am glad that Labour has changed its position.

[Nick Smith (Blaenau Gwent) (Lab)]

In his statement, the Secretary of State says, and has just acknowledged, that there is “evidence that the big six have seen increasing profits that do not appear to reflect increasing efficiency”—too right! So why does he not acknowledge that he has been too slow to act today?

[Mr Davey]

I completely disagree with the hon. Gentleman; this coalition Government have been acting from day one. We inherited Labour’s big six. We have deregulated, and we now have 18 independent new suppliers taking on the big six. The best buy tables show that people can save hundreds of pounds by switching from Labour’s big six to the new competition that has come about under this Government. We have been making lots of efforts, but because we are impatient and frustrated and we want to do more, we set up this annual competition assessment and we welcome its proposals today.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Ed Davey and Nick Smith

Thursday 28th November 2013 Commons Chamber

[Mr Davey]

I will certainly bring my hon. Friend’s point to the attention of the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions.

[Nick Smith (Blaenau Gwent) (Lab)]

Why has the UK fallen to seventh in the world for investment in clean energy since the Government came to power?

[Mr Davey]

I do not recognise the hon. Gentleman’s figures. A recent Ernst and Young survey had the UK as the fourth most attractive place in the world to invest in renewable energy.

Annual Energy Statement

Debate between Ed Davey and Nick Smith

Thursday 31st October 2013 Commons Chamber

[Mr Davey]

My hon. Friend makes an important point. If we do not have sufficient capacity, not only will that threaten security, but it will cause spikes in prices. The underinvestment that we had under the last Government has caused this problem, and we are having to run to catch up. We have seen £35 billion of investment since 2010, and we have a lot more investment in the pipeline. We have announced Hinkley Point C as the first nuclear reactor in a generation, but we will have to do more to put right the mess that Labour left us.

[Nick Smith (Blaenau Gwent) (Lab)]

Wholesale costs are up 1.7% but bills for households will go up by 9%. Does the Secretary of State think that is fair?

[Mr Davey]

We would not want more competition in the market if we were happy with what is going on, but the hon. Gentleman’s figures are not right. It depends on how wholesale costs are defined in any one year. Ofgem says that on one definition they have gone up by more than 8%.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Ed Davey and Nick Smith

Thursday 31st January 2013 Commons Chamber

[Mr Davey]

The hon. Gentleman should realise that the call for evidence is focused on how local communities benefit. It is not about reforming the planning system, which is obviously the responsibility of my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, although the overall thrust of our policies in this coalition Government is to empower local communities, because we have a strong localist agenda.

[Nick Smith (Blaenau Gwent) (Lab)]

11. What steps he is taking to help households improve their energy efficiency.