Energy Bill – in a Public Bill Committee am 5:45 pm ar 19 Ionawr 2010.
Simon Hughes
Shadow Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change
I have a simple pair of questions, which go together. The Minister might not be able to answer them now, which I will understand, but it will be helpful if she can. If not, can she supply the information and make it available to the Committee at the earliest available date?
The Clause deals with penalties imposed by Ofgem under their regulatory powers. We want to consider that fully, and we will want to consider it again on Report. Can the Minister publish and circulate the penalties that have been imposed by Ofgem until now, with a summary of the reasons for which they have been imposed; the amounts of the penalties; the periods that companies or others were given to pay them; confirmation that they have all been paid; an indication of where there have been appeals in the past; and, when there has been a challenge through a procedure or in the courts, the penalties imposed.
It has been difficult to discover exactly what the history is without a comprehensive trawl. The Minister will have better access to the information than some of us, and I am sure that she has the ability to work with Ofgem to give us the information at the earliest date. May I request first that that information is supplied and, secondly, that it is given to us in reasonable time before the Bill is considered on Report, so that if we want to come back to this, we can?
Joan Ruddock
Minister of State (Department of Energy and Climate Change)
I think I would be well advised to accept the hon. Gentleman’s offer, but I will write to him rather than try to trawl through all my briefings and give him an inadequate or incomplete answer. On the penalties imposed by Ofgem in relation to the breach of the market power licence condition, companies will be allowed to appeal directly to the competition appeals tribunal. In that instance, they may dispute the decision to issue a penalty, the size of that penalty and the date by which they have been directed to pay. That is sufficient information on the Clause. I will undertake to provide in writing, as speedily as possible, all the information that the hon. Gentleman has requested.
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.
