Proceeding contribution from Stephen Pound (Labour) in the House of Commons on Friday, 20 March 2009. It occurred during Debate on bill on Fuel Poverty Bill.
Fuel Poverty Bill
As always, it is an honour to follow my hon. Friend the Member for Chorley (Mr. Hoyle). Normally when he speaks, metaphorical thunder and lightening echo around him, but I think I heard a roll of real thunder while he was speaking. I sincerely trust that it was not the aftershock from the underwater Tongan volcano. Knowing my hon. Friend as I do, nothing is impossible. I slightly demur from some of his comments about the eaga partnership. In my constituency, we have had a first-class service from the eaga partnership. Perhaps we are just fortunate; perhaps we are just Ealing—I do not know—but I have always found that its customer satisfaction levels have been high. There have been problems with some subcontractors, but overall eaga has been found to be extremely effective. That brings us to the business of the day, which is the private Member's Bill tabled by the hon. Member for Somerset and Frome. May I congratulate him while attempting to pronounce Frome correctly? A look of pain always fizzes across his face when I mispronounce it. [Hon. Members: "It is Somerton."] Apparently, I have erred not once, but twice. It is not just mea culpa, but mea maxima culpa. I have mispronounced Somerton. Most of us of my generation associate Frome only with Colin Dredge, the late demon of Frome. I have to say that I think that the hon. Member for Somerton and Frome (Mr. Heath) is more decent and diligent than demonic. By way of tribute, if not of recognition, I shall try to pronounce the name of his constituency correctly. Those of us from places such as Ealing have no such problem; there is only one way to pronounce it. The hon. Gentleman has done a massively valuable service to the House and the nation in promoting this Bill today. Whatever happens in the debate about fuel poverty in the future, the debate has been changed. It will be a different debate and that is in no small part due to his work. At the beginning of the debate, he said that he had been "religiously" applying every year for a private Member's Bill. The thought of him on his knees praying in the Lobby is not one that immediately springs to mind, but many of us will pray that other Members who bring such Bills before the House do as much work and carry out as much due diligence beforehand. It is extremely helpful.
Secondary information
- Type
- Proceeding contribution
- Reference
- 489 c1163-4
- Session
- 2008-09
- Chamber / Committee
- House of Commons chamber
- Subjects
- Cold weather payments Costs Conservation Housing Energy Fuel poverty Insulation Fuels Warm front scheme Low incomes Meters Prices Private rented housing Standards Rural areas EAGA Social tariffs
- Legislation
- Fuel Poverty Bill 2008-09
- Link
- View this Proceeding contribution on www.publications.parliament.uk
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