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Energy Bill

My Lords, I am indebted to my noble friend because once again he did something that characterises many of his responses to the amendments; he always throws in that little nugget at the end. Today’s nugget was the reference to Ofgem and its work. When you explain to the public that the first units are cheaper than the later ones, they often respond with disbelief. People never study their bills because they feel that they can never comprehend them. I am grateful to the noble Lord, Lord Teverson, whose speech was helpful and not critical in the sense that my noble friend suggested. His comment on the need for a simple system is correct. When I started my work, I produced a very complicated scheme. Slowly, I have narrowed it down to a simple system based on block tariff principles. My reference to difficulties in the text of what I had to say arises from my view that when you argue a new idea it is always best to make it clear that you have already considered all the problems, otherwise people do not think that you have thought the principle through. The noble Baroness, Lady Wilcox, referred to overregulation. If she, or someone in her office, studies tomorrow the text of the amendment, she will find that it is remarkably free of regulation; namely, that block A tariffs are set by the energy distributors, which will effectively have control. My noble friend referred to the elderly needing support, which I dealt with when I referred to the problems. However, that is where we should target our conservation measures. In the event that we introduce the system, they should be the priority areas. The concerns to which my noble friend referred will be considered by us all. When I further amend the paper that I wrote on this matter, I will make sure that his comments and concerns are specifically referred to so as to take the debate forward. On that basis, I beg leave to withdraw the amendment. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn.