(7 years, 9 months ago)
Lords ChamberIn paragraph 32 on page 34 of the call for evidence there is a suggested definition of storage. That is very much part of the consultation, and we will have a very firm view on that definition. Clearly removing the double charging where people who are operating storage also have to pay the end consumption levies is something for which we will have clear plans when we publish our response to the call for evidence.
My Lords, with the exception of pump storage, is it not the case that genuinely commercial storage systems for electricity do not exist, even to compensate for unreliable renewable energy?
My Lords, as my noble friend will know, there are developments in new battery technology, such as lithium ion, which is a new technology that holds out huge hopes not just for powering electric vehicles but for storing energy, which could then be fed into the grid. The regulatory system is running behind the new technology, if you like, which is why we have issued the call for evidence.
(8 years ago)
Lords ChamberClearly the case that the noble Lord mentions is totally unacceptable. Where CCGs are rationing access to cataract operations on such a crude basis, we would all deplore that. But as I said, there is variation around the country, and the new NICE evidence-based guidelines will help to address that.
My Lords, in terms of cost-effectiveness alone, is not the cataract treatment a good one to back? The developments have been remarkable. Years ago one spent two months in a darkened room, but now it is bad luck if one has to spend two hours.
The cataract operation is a remarkable one. There is a huge variation in productivity around England: some surgeons are extremely fast, and in some hospitals the process has been streamlined. Interestingly, in India, where cataract operations are largely done by technicians not doctors, the cost per operation is below $10.