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Green Energy (Definition and Promotion) Bill

My Lords, the Green Energy (Definition and Promotion) Bill, introduced and championed by the Conservative MP Peter Ainsworth in another place, arrives in this House to be championed by the noble Lord, Lord Whitty, a Labour Peer. That pretty well says it all about the Bill. The two main elements are to revise the Government’s microgeneration strategy and to reform the planning law. The Bill has been well described by the noble Lord and the contributions that have followed that have fleshed it out well, so I will not waste any more of our time here today in doing that. I shall say only that the Conservatives fully support the Bill. We firmly believe that the United Kingdom needs to use green energy to protect the environment and reduce the impact of climate change. There is no doubt that low-carbon and renewable technology is the future. It is time to rebuild our economy based not just on a housing boom or the financial services sector but on real green industry, as outlined in our Conservative low-carbon economy paper. We therefore support the Bill. I have a couple of questions of which I have given the Minister short notice, so I am hoping that he will be able to give us a couple of answers today. In the other place the Minister spoke of the Government’s planned consultation on permitted development rights. An issue that was raised in relation to this was the matter of consent on listed properties. What consideration has the Minister given to this application of permitted development for listed buildings? There are concerns that the electricity infrastructure as it currently stands will not be able to support the level of air-source heat pumps that may be installed as a result of this legislation. What steps is the department taking to ensure that the electricity network will be able to support such a demand? The Government have stated that they intend to hold a full review of the environment consent process for microhydro power, with the aim of developing recommendations for a streamlined system that is quick and easy for developers but also maintains a high level of protection. Can the Minister clarify what the timeframe for this consultation will be? With those questions ringing in the Minister’s ears, I would like to say how nice it is for us all to be together and agreeing that this will be an extremely welcome contribution.