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Planning and Energy Bill

Absolutely. Probably the most pertinent comment with regard to the Bill's linkage with this was made by the hon. Member for Sevenoaks when he talked about local authorities having the flexibility to go further and faster and to do more, learning from the experiences of Merton and others. It is important to set out the framework, the targets and the contexts. We are already putting in place measures to increase renewable energy supplies, which I hope will support and help local authorities as they deliver targets and work to the opportunities that are available to them through the Bill. Further measures will be necessary—there are no two ways about that—so the Government plan a consultation in the summer on the options for meeting our share of the EU 2020 renewable energy target. We will publish our renewable energy strategy in the spring of next year once the EU directive is passed and the UK's contribution is decided. In evaluating these contributions, we need to consider the role of every individual local authority. That is why the Bill is so important.