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Energy Bill

I should like to clarify something for my own mind and probably for the benefit of the Committee. I do not expect an answer now, but I would be grateful if my noble friend could write to me. What mechanism has been used by his noble friend the Minister for Energy, his colleagues at DCSF and the Department of Health to advance the use of new build—£30 billion-worth overall—in terms of new energy requirements? As my noble friend rightly says, a year is a tough task, but there is a problem. We are spending billions every year, and what concerns me is that during the time we wait for a decision to be made, another £4 billion or £5 billion will have been spent on new builds without this resource even being considered. I have two questions. The first is: could the Minister let me know what mechanism exists between the departments to look at these issues? Secondly, if it is decided not to turn new build schools, hospitals and so on into what are in effect small-scale generating stations, what are the reasons for that decision and what would be the comparative costs should the decision be taken to use these new builds in that way?