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Energy Bill

My Lords, I am glad to have an opportunity to welcome once again the Government’s change of heart on the rollout of smart meters. However, I have some sympathy for my noble friend’s amendments requiring that the regulations defining the details of the competition be subject to affirmative resolution. We have had debates earlier in the Bill’s passage on another government competition, and despite the precedent of handling larger projects than this behind the scenes, a general concern that the Government might be somewhat lukewarm in their support for this technology, as shown by the time it has taken us to get to this stage, does argue the need for increased transparency and scrutiny.