Speeches by Young.

“Geothermal is one of those technologies. To what extent do you think it will be part of the energy mix by 2030 and 2050?”

“When you judge costs, do you take into account the fact that some forms of technology have a much longer lifetime? We have already seen 60 years of tidal range power generation in France, for example, and we are looking at a 120-year lifespan, which is different from a wind turbine, and it is different again for nuclea…”

“Over 100 years.”

“Do you agree that we need to think about heat as a resource to reduce demand on electricity supply? If so, will you commit to consulting on and implementing a national geothermal strategy?”

“We heard from the Severn Estuary Commission about its report on tidal power and tidal range energy from the Severn. Following that inquiry session, we sent a letter and got quite a disappointingly non-committal and vague response. Could you clarify today the Government’s position on the Severn Estuary Commission’s prop…”

“When looking at that, you might also want to think about the fact that it is also a potential domestic source of materials such as lithium. Turning to marine energy, do the Government plan to set specific targets for marine energy to incentivise investment in these renewables?”

“I congratulate my hon. Friend on securing this debate. He is making an important point. I have heard from a number of Ukrainians—particularly those from the east of the country—who cannot return home, as their home towns have been destroyed. They are looking for a more permanent solution than the temporary solution tha…”

“In my constituency last year there were 2,036 sewage spills, lasting for a total of 28,360 hours. However, contrary to the Secretary of State’s earlier assertion, we do not know the volume of that dumping because it is not monitored. What steps are the Government taking to impose targets to reduce both the duration and…”

“I am going to ask you questions about climate change adaptation. Before I do, I want to ask you about risk, which is obviously part of adaptation. You have a nice background, you have a good understanding of risk yourself, I would imagine. How do you feel about communicating that, which will be important for adaptation…”

“If I can come back then, you said that it was not your role, not a core part of your role, to recommend technologies, but you do seem to have some quite clear views.”

“You don’t think there are any particular areas of adaptation that are more important than others, for example?”

“Much of the focus on the electrification of domestic heating has been on heat pumps. How is that focus distracting the basic message of electrification of domestic heating more generally, and should the Government be talking about other electrical heating methods, for example, infrared heating?”

“There are no other areas? That is the top priority; you don’t have any others?”

“Moving on to the issue of climate change adaptation, the CCC progress report on adaptation published in April said that the Government’s approach was “inadequate”. What do you think are the main areas of concern, and how would you advise the Government to prioritise?”

“You said in an answer to a previous question that you are studiously apolitical. Do you see your job as purely to present the facts about the technical risk, or do you think that you need to at least have an awareness of political risk?”

“In rural areas such as my Thornbury and Yate constituency, it can be difficult to travel to post offices in towns because of the lack of buses. If the Government are considering relaxing the distance and access criteria for post office provision, will they take that issue into account in setting new criteria?”

“The report highlights an ambiguity about what is said centrally by the Government and what is expected from industry. Separately from this report, the Select Committee has heard evidence on tidal range power generation from the Severn and, during visits, about innovative approaches. Does the Chair of the Select Committ…”

“On Monday, I spoke to a constituent who works at the Jessie May charity, which provides hospice-at-home care for children and young people in my constituency and beyond. It is currently fundraising to meet running costs of £300,000—costs that cannot in any way be helped by the capital funding for hospices announced by …”

“Staying with you, Paul, what measures are in place to ensure transparency in our domestic energy pricing and to protect businesses from unfair practices at the moment? Are they adequate?”

“We have heard that BBPA members are particularly concerned about the lack of transparency and clarity on non-commodity costs. Starting with David, how can businesses be better informed about this and the factors influencing their energy bills?”