Speeches by Esterson.

“Both, but there is this real concern with the growth figures.”

“Thank you for that. I was at Port Talbot with the Energy Security and Net Zero Committee two weeks ago, and people were saying to me how frustrating and worrying it is that the blast furnaces shut there some years before the new electric arc furnaces will be opened. They are very encouraged and pleased by the Governmen…”

“We are keen to learn what “all options are on the table” means in more detail, if there is anything you can say, Prime Minister.”

“Thank you for joining us, Prime Minister. I was pleased, because I have people who work at JLR, albeit in Halewood—you were at JLR in Solihull—by the support you gave to the car industry yesterday, but I want to talk to you about steel. The situation at Scunthorpe, which I know you visited, is obviously very urgent. On…”

“Absolutely, Prime Minister, and my Committee has heard detailed evidence to make the points that you make extremely well. The timeframes you have set out, though, are several years away. In some cases, they are considerably beyond the date of the next general election. How are you going to make sure that people are bet…”

“I very much welcome the Chancellor’s commitment to investing in life sciences in this country. May I encourage her to support the bid for a national mental health diagnostics and research centre in my constituency, not least because poor mental health is estimated to cost this country up to £300 billion a year in lost …”

“Are you planning to pick that up in the same way as you were in your earlier answer to me?”

“I am sure we will.”

“I have probably exhausted this line of questioning.”

“Sticking with the committee’s purview, have you picked up any evidence of community payments or payments to individuals that have been successful?”

“So money off bills or payments, whichever way it comes around, is beneficial as far as you can see?”

“The Government are proposing a £250-a-year incentive in response to hosting energy infrastructure, being involved or, presumably, being near it. How effective do you think that payment will be? Do you have any analysis there?”

“I understand that. My question is what planning changes are needed, given the barriers in place.”

“You have started moving on to another question I wanted to ask, which is about planning. What planning changes are most needed to help the roll-out of renewables and related energy infrastructure?”

“The Energy Security and Net Zero Committee will be holding an inquiry into the cost of energy, so we may have a further discussion on it.”

“So nothing on energy market reform?”

“One element of clean power 2030 is the reduction of electricity prices for consumers. At the moment, we have a system in which the cost of electricity in the UK tracks the cost of gas, because gas generation sets the wholesale price. Switching from fossil fuel heating to electric alternatives leaves consumers unable to…”

“Thank you for your explanation.”

“Okay.”

“Cornwall Insight says that the Government are going to miss their clean power 2030 target. Is that right?”