Oral Answers to Questions Debate

Full Debate: Read Full Debate

Oral Answers to Questions

Tristram Hunt Excerpts
Thursday 20th October 2011

(12 years, 7 months ago)

Commons Chamber
Read Full debate Read Hansard Text
Charles Hendry Portrait Charles Hendry
- Hansard - - - Excerpts

Let me say in response to your comment, Mr Speaker, that I like to see myself as a source of endless renewable energy. As for the point that my hon. Friend has rightly made, clarity is indeed a real issue. People are confused because they simply do not know what the term “unit” might refer to. I hope that Ofgem and the industry will try to establish what more can be done to ensure that it is absolutely clear how much energy people are using.

Tristram Hunt Portrait Tristram Hunt (Stoke-on-Trent Central) (Lab)
- Hansard - -

14. What information Ministers in his Department gathered on the policies of other countries on maintaining the competitiveness of energy-intensive industries during recent visits to Europe.

Charles Hendry Portrait The Minister of State, Department of Energy and Climate Change (Charles Hendry)
- Hansard - - - Excerpts

My hon. Friend the Minister of State, Department of Energy and Climate Change, the hon. Member for Bexhill and Battle (Gregory Barker), visited Germany last month to see at first hand how German policy on the competitiveness of energy-intensive industries is put into practice. My officials are also working with the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills and the Treasury to prepare a package of measures for the most affected energy-intensive businesses, which we plan to announce before the end of the year.