---

Energy Bill

I thank the noble Lord, Lord Davies, for his very full answer. I am getting used to his very full answers—I have to listen carefully to see whether I have actually won anything along the way. We are all trying to achieve the same thing here. We want to get there safely, as quickly as we can and, I hope, in such a way that the general public does not feel excluded from the process. It is bad enough that more and more each day we feel that we are hostages to the rest of the world for our energy provision, so this amendment is one more way of trying to make sure that the Secretary of State would be required to report on progress so that we stay in the loop. The noble Lord, Lord Redesdale, talked about nervousness in this regard and gave the amendment his qualified support, although perhaps not to the principle. With his great experience and expertise, my noble friend Lord Jenkin will contribute a great deal to our debates in Committee over the coming days. I am also grateful to the noble Lord, Lord Palmer and my noble friend Lady Carnegy. So much is going on in this area. We know about the Stern review and the interim reports, and I hear what the Minister says about collaborations with the French. In the midst of this tangled web of reporting, we will ask again and again for direct reporting and for things to be put in the Bill so that the people of this country, Her Majesty’s Government and the Opposition can see exactly what is going on and when, so that it is not too late. We have heard before and will hear again that we are in dangerous times. I shall read exactly what the Minister has said, but it does not sound as if he is giving me anything I did not have before he stood up to speak. I shall withdraw the amendment, but not with any great joy. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn. On Question, Whether Clause 42 shall stand part of the Bill?