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Fuel Poverty Bill

The Roman Catholic Church does not sell indulgences any more. However, I am always prepared to consider offers. The hon. Member for Somerton and Frome has raised a vital subject. At the outset, I hope that he will accept—as would everybody—that no Government in the history of this nation have ever done more to combat fuel poverty than this Government. It is interesting to note that none of us disagree with the main thrust of the Bill. Nobody is speaking up for fuel poverty, except perhaps for a few megalomaniac oligarchs somewhere in the outer reaches of the energy supply chain. We are all united. We simply slightly diverge on how best to achieve those ends. As a graduate of the London School of Economics, I am always reluctant to use statistics, but the single most chilling statistic—"chilling" is an appropriate word—that one could come across can be found in the official Library figures for the estimated number of households in fuel poverty in the UK. The figure plunged from 6.5 million in 1996 to 2 million in 2003 and 2004 and then started to rise again to 3.5 million in 2006. The reason for that was simple. Energy prices are the main driver of fuel poverty and we know that domestic prices for fuel fell by 17 per cent. in real terms between 1996 and 2003, but increased by 39 per cent. between 2003 and 2006. So, whatever we achieve with the Bill, and whatever the Government's policies work towards, there will always be the issue—the elephant in the rather chilly room—of fuel costs. They have already been mentioned, and we have to consider them. My right hon. Friend the Member for Holborn and St. Pancras (Frank Dobson) takes a rather robust view of energy suppliers; I think it involves a measure of capital punishment. I cannot always disagree with him, although other people have suggested introducing windfall taxes. Whatever we do, we will have to consider the issue. Let us look at what we can do and what we have done, and at how the hon. Gentleman's Bill can help. Anyone who opposed the Bill would be in the same position as someone who had been photographed kicking a puppy. It is honestly meant, and it is here to help. Everyone is in favour of it; the question is merely how best we can achieve the aim. I do not wish to go into the costs involved, because I think that that subject will be ventilated elsewhere. We have discussed whether the figures involved related to the base figures, and we could discuss that for a long time. I think that there is an element of the Bill that remains uncosted. The hon. Gentleman was quite right to say that the Bill was aspirational, as well as a permissive. It is extremely important that he pointed that out. When he won his place in the ballot, I was surprised that he chose this subject for his Bill. He is known for his interest in constitutional matters of great moment. However, when the House heard him speak today about the reality of fuel poverty, we recognised the passion that flows through his veins and understood why he had chosen to promote this issue.