Oral Answers to Questions

Chris Clarkson Excerpts

Tuesday 18th April 2023 Commons Chamber

The Secretary of State was asked—

[Chris Clarkson (Heywood and Middleton) (Con)]

1. What assessment he has made of the potential impact of the extension of the energy price guarantee on household energy bills.

[The Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero (Grant Shapps)]

The energy price guarantee has been extended at the same level for a further three months until the end of June. By then, the Government will have covered nearly half of a typical household’s energy bills during this winter, and a third to a half of business bills as well.

[Chris Clarkson]

I welcome the Secretary of State and his entire team to their places in this important new Department. I thank him for his response, but does he agree that the best way to ensure the stability of energy prices long term is to develop our own sovereign supply, with technology such as small modular reactors, hydrogen and nuclear?

[Grant Shapps]

My hon. Friend is absolutely right. That is why we put £200 million into funding new hydrogen in the “Powering up Britain” document just a few weeks ago. He will know about Great British Nuclear. I intend that we launch a competition, pick a winner for that by the autumn and get on with it.