Energy Tariffs

Debate between Tobias Ellwood and John Hayes

Thursday 18th October 2012 Commons Chamber

[Mr Hayes]

Regulation is important. I do not want to be ungenerous—still less unkind—but it must be said that the last Government had 13 years in which to do something about this. I have been in the job for a matter of days, and we are getting on with it.

[Mr Tobias Ellwood (Bournemouth East) (Con)]

Does the Minister agree that although the shadow Minister speaks of an energy policy, the previous Government simply did not have one? They took none of the big decisions, such as on new nuclear build, which is why we are over-reliant on expensive imports today.

[Mr Hayes]

Let me be even more generous. There is always a tension involved in taking big strategic decisions in a democratic polity, because of the imperatives that we face day to day, week to week. However, that cannot legitimise a failure to take decisions that were in the national interest and for the common good. Those strategic decisions, given their scale and time scale, need to be framed around meaningful legislation that establishes a robust relationship between those with commercial interests and those missioned, as we are, to defend the national interest. That is precisely what we will do, in weeks not months, and at its heart will be a landmark piece of legislation which I will guide through this House.