Draft Strategy and Policy Statement for Energy Policy in Great Britain

Philip Hollobone Excerpts

Tuesday 19th March 2024 General Committees

[Mr Philip Hollobone (Kettering) (Con)]

Ms Rees, it is a delight to see you in the Chair and a huge pleasure to follow my right hon. Friend the Member for Suffolk Coastal (Dr Coffey), who has brought to this debate not only her extensive Government experience, but her intense knowledge of her beautiful constituency and how it will be affected by UK energy policy. While listening to my right hon. Friend’s speech, I reflected on how much better it would have been had she been appointed to the Committee instead of me; her knowledge of these things is far superior to mine.

I wonder why I am here at all—why any of us is here. It seems that what we are being asked to do today in approving the draft Strategy and Policy Statement for Energy Policy in Great Britain is a classic Whitehall example of legislating for legislation’s sake. I have a huge amount of time for my hon. Friend the Minister, who works assiduously in her Department, and for the Whip who looks after these affairs here in Parliament. But if a strategy and policy statement is such a good idea—no doubt there was an extensive debate in 2013 when the Energy Act 2013 was passed—how on earth have we managed in the last 11 years without one at all? If it was so important, why was it not introduced in 2014 or 2013? We have had to wait 11 years for this thing to come along.

Frankly, it does not matter whether we pass the statement today or not because the statement, not in my words but the Government’s own words, comprises only existing Government policy commitments and targets. What we pass today will make no difference whatever to Government energy policy.

The Energy Act 2013 said that the statement we are discussing today, 11 years later, should set out the strategic priorities of the Government in formulating energy policy, the particular outcomes to be achieved and the roles and responsibilities of persons who are involved in implementing that policy. Those are no doubt laudable aims—I get that. But in the document itself the Government say that they have already set out their strategic priorities for the energy sector in several papers over the years.

We have had the Energy White Paper 2020, “The Ten Point Plan for a Green Industrial Revolution” 2020, the “Net Zero Strategy: Build Back Greener” 2021, the “British energy security strategy” 2022, the energy security plan 2023, the net zero growth plan 2023 and the transmission acceleration action plan 2023. My gosh, we have gone over this stuff again and again! We do not need another statement just to repeat it. The Government say in their own statement:

“This statement does not introduce new roles or duties for bodies in the sector, it is comprised of only existing government policy, commitments and targets. It does not replace or override Ofgem’s principal objective or other duties…Nor does it replace the National Energy System Operator’s…objectives and duties set out in the Energy Act 2023.”

It is always a joy to be appointed to a Delegated Legislation Committee, but even more so if we believe our time is being spent in a worthwhile way. Frankly, it makes no difference whether this is passed or not. The Government’s energy policy is already set in stone and we do not need another legislative document to repeat what has already come before.