Business Rates: Devolution

Debate between Lord Marlesford and Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth

Wednesday 21st December 2016 Lords Chamber

[Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth]

My Lords, I have no idea on that particular point, but I will write to the noble Baroness on it.

[Lord Marlesford (Con)]

My Lords, may I draw my noble friend’s attention to my Council Tax Valuation Bands Bill, which was on the whole well received in the House? It has not made very much progress, but it would be the answer to updating without having to revalue property for council tax. It would make it much fairer and very easy to apply.

[Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth]

My Lords, I congratulate my noble friend on his commercial. I do not think that it needs any added words from me.

Energy Security: Hinkley Point

Debate between Lord Marlesford and Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth

Thursday 10th March 2016 Lords Chamber

[Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth]

My Lords, this is a commercial deal, as the noble Viscount should be aware. It is a matter for EDF if the costs increase: they are EDF costs. We have a strike price, as I have indicated, which is firm and unchanging and will guarantee us energy up to and beyond the 2030s—for 60 years from when this comes on stream.

[Lord Marlesford (Con)]

My Lords—

--- Later in debate ---

[Lord Marlesford]

My Lords, is not one of the problems that, in negotiating with EDF on the two nuclear power stations at Hinkley and Sizewell in Suffolk—I declare my interest in the latter—the Government were outfoxed by EDF? EDF has shown an astonishingly ruthless determination to get exactly what it wants, lacking, in some cases, in integrity. To give one example, in Suffolk, in order to persuade people that there was support for its local transport plans, EDF summoned a meeting at which £20 notes were handed out and the people were filmed.

[Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth]

My Lords, I have no knowledge of that particular evening in Suffolk. I wish I had known about it—I could have been there. I return to the point that this is a good deal for the Government. It was a good deal when it was struck and it is a good deal now. It will provide 7% of the energy needs of the country, which is enough to power London twice over when it is fully on stream in the 2020s.

Renewable Energy: Solar

Debate between Lord Marlesford and Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth

Wednesday 14th October 2015 Lords Chamber

[Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth]

If I have a chance I will answer it. The noble Baroness does support new nuclear; her leader does not. That is significant for investor confidence. It is also significant in terms of delivering what we need to deliver for an international agreement in Paris. It will be interesting to hear where the Labour Party is on that rather important issue.

[Lord Marlesford (Con)]

My Lords—

Energy: Onshore Wind

Debate between Lord Marlesford and Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth

Monday 22nd June 2015 Lords Chamber

[Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth]

My Lords, I am entering dangerous territory when I am asked to agree with a left-wing organisation. What I will say to the noble Lord is that the cost is immense, but the cost of doing nothing is even more immense. We are determined to get the balance right so that we have clean energy and we are protecting the planet, but at the same time bills have to be affordable—we are very conscious of the fact that some people struggle with their bills—and we have to have security of energy supply.

[Lord Marlesford (Con)]

My Lords, first, I congratulate the Government on making this announcement. Does the Minister agree that the beauty of rural Britain is one of our great national assets, and that the march of wind turbines has in certain respects in certain areas greatly damaged that beauty for a long time—a generation in many cases? More important, does the Minister agree that there is plenty of industrial land on which wind farms can be erected? I drove today through Dagenham, where there are three very large turbines, and where there is room for another dozen or so easily. Does he agree that, rather like building land, where there is plenty of brown land—according to the noble Lord, Lord Rogers of Riverside, there is enough brown land to build 1 million houses—we should focus wind farms in areas where they do not cause an adverse impact on our national beauty?

[Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth]

My noble friend makes an important point about the beauty of our country and our landscape. I do not want to enter into a dispute about different parts of the country. I remind noble Lords of the importance of taking public opinion with us. Clearly, in terms of future wind farms, the number will now be restricted by the Statement. Other renewables, of course, do not have the same impact, and it is very important that we carry those forward into our energy mix, ensuring three things of which I remind the House: affordability, security and clean energy.