Oral Answers to Questions
Debate between Tim Farron and Ed Davey(10 years, 10 months ago)
Commons ChamberRead Full debate Read Hansard Text
Mr Davey
First, every customer will get something off their bills because of the rebate that we are putting through related to renewable and social costs, so it is not true that some people will not see any reduction. Furthermore, when the hon. Lady and her colleagues talk about the big six, they forget to mention that Labour created the big six. It was when Labour messed up the reforms of the energy markets in 2001 and abolished the pool in a bad way that we saw consolidation and the big six. We are now fixing that problem.
Tim Farron (Westmorland and Lonsdale) (LD)
9. What estimate he has made of the number of jobs that will be created in the renewables industry as a result of the provisions of the Energy Act 2013.
Oral Answers to Questions
Debate between Tim Farron and Ed Davey
Mr Davey
I thank the hon. Gentleman for his question. I pay tribute to him, to the Government of Wales and to my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Wales for the important role that they have all played in this deal. I can confirm that the Office for Nuclear Regulation will have all the resources it needs to go through the generic design assessment for the advanced boiling water reactors that Hitachi is proposing.
Tim Farron (Westmorland and Lonsdale) (LD)
Does my right hon. Friend share my concern that the new nuclear build for the west coast of Cumbria seems to be tied to the storage of nuclear waste at the site? Given the recent earth tremors in west Cumbria, one of which reached nearly 4 on the Richter scale a year or so ago, does he not agree that that would be the worst geological site in the UK on which to store nuclear waste?
Mr Davey
I have to say to my hon. Friend that that is certainly not what our scientists and analysts are saying. I know that there is a debate about the geological disposal facility in west Cumbria, but I am reassured that the local authorities are going about the decision on whether to host such a GDF in a sensible and authoritative way, and I am sure that they will support the proposal, which is an important step forward for new nuclear.