Energy Bill – in a Public Bill Committee am 3:30 pm ar 14 Ionawr 2010.
Charles Hendry
Shadow Minister (Energy and Climate Change)
Briefly, the power for the reconciliation mechanism is permissive rather than an obligation. What will be considered to be a disproportionate number of eligible people? Does the Minister intend to change the mechanism from being a power to an obligation? That would ensure that a company that ends up with a disproportionate number of people who might benefit can be certain that its load will be shared.
David Kidney
Parliamentary Under-Secretary, Department of Energy and Climate Change
I understand the hon. Gentleman’s point; it is a bit like the debate that we had this morning about “shall” and “may”. There is no doubt that there will be a reconciliation scheme, but its design will take some time, owing to consultations with the energy companies, which have a great interest in the issue, and with other organisations. The provision is permissive, to enable it to happen, but it definitely will happen.
Simon Hughes
Shadow Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change
One question. Has the Minister’s Department come to any conclusions under the present voluntary system as to whether the companies with the largest number of people in Fuel Poverty have been more or less generous relative to one another? Some companies will have had more customers “on their books” who are in fuel poverty. Have they been less helpful in supporting those in fuel poverty than companies that have had fewer such customers and that can, in theory, be more generous? Has the Department compared the numbers who have benefited against the numbers eligible under the present voluntary arrangement?
David Kidney
Parliamentary Under-Secretary, Department of Energy and Climate Change
I am pretty sure that there is a reconciliation scheme under the voluntary arrangement by agreement with the companies that is split according to the customer account numbers. The debate during last week’s evidence was about whether we should continue with customer account numbers or move to kilowatts per hour consumed. The point is that there is going to be a reconciliatory scheme at the request of the energy suppliers themselves, so the hon. Gentleman’s concern will not arise.
A parliamentary bill is divided into sections called clauses.
Printed in the margin next to each clause is a brief explanatory `side-note' giving details of what the effect of the clause will be.
During the committee stage of a bill, MPs examine these clauses in detail and may introduce new clauses of their own or table amendments to the existing clauses.
When a bill becomes an Act of Parliament, clauses become known as sections.
A parliamentary bill is divided into sections called clauses.
Printed in the margin next to each clause is a brief explanatory `side-note' giving details of what the effect of the clause will be.
During the committee stage of a bill, MPs examine these clauses in detail and may introduce new clauses of their own or table amendments to the existing clauses.
When a bill becomes an Act of Parliament, clauses become known as sections.
Ministers make up the Government and almost all are members of the House of Lords or the House of Commons. There are three main types of Minister. Departmental Ministers are in charge of Government Departments. The Government is divided into different Departments which have responsibilities for different areas. For example the Treasury is in charge of Government spending. Departmental Ministers in the Cabinet are generally called 'Secretary of State' but some have special titles such as Chancellor of the Exchequer. Ministers of State and Junior Ministers assist the ministers in charge of the department. They normally have responsibility for a particular area within the department and are sometimes given a title that reflects this - for example Minister of Transport.
A household is said to be in fuel poverty when its members cannot afford to keep adequately warm at reasonable cost, given their income.
