Energy Bill - final moves in a long dance need to be right

Liz Hutchins

23 June 2011

After two weeks of intense Committee scrutiny, it's time to draw breath on the Energy Bill - have a look at what we've achieved and get ready for the final push before it becomes law.

Commons Committee Room 9 - where the Committee met - is like a miniature version of the main chamber of the House of Commons. We watched Ministers face each other across the dispatch box, their colleagues lined up on opposing benches. Caroline Lucas, the Green Party Leader, sat with Labour, and the Lib Dems played their role sitting with the Conservatives.

What unfolded was like political ballet, with multiple choreographers competing for stage direction. The cast included many familiar faces. Ministers, shadow Ministers and MPs who my colleagues and I have met with - as well as debated with in public meetings, emailed, petitioned, and everything else we can think of to get them to pay attention to our campaigning - are present.

A row of civil servants - whom we have grown to know well over the years - sit scribbling on scraps of paper to pass to Ministers at crucial moments with key arguments or facts to aid the Government's case. They prepare the great lever arch files of speeches for Ministers, and know the Bill inside out - having honed the policy and drafted the legislation.

Sitting with me - squeezed in to a double row of chairs at the side of the chamber - were advisors, lobbyists, researchers, green campaigners and sight-seers.

We all (apart from the tourists) were trying to shape the outcome of the dance. Had we done enough to research the killer fact? Have we honed the political argument to win the debate? Will the MP we coached deliver the line or fluff it at the crucial moment? Does the MP understand he is risking his narrow majority if he goes back on an election pledge?

It turned out that all the choreographers had their part. The Government, whip and Mandarins saw their Bill through the Committee relatively unscathed. But we can be proud of the part we played, lining up the case for amendments to strengthen the Bill - ably executed in the debate with flair and attention to detail by the opposition benches.

Ministers made important concessions on Warm Homes - saying that the ambition of the Green Deal will be linked to the Climate Change Act, but resisted introducing a comprehensive strategy to upgrade the nation's buildings.

Gains were made on private rented accommodation. The anti-regulation Government decided to regulate rented homes to improve energy efficiency - but have delayed introducing the system and left it with big loopholes that we need to plug.

Faced with defeat in a vote, the Government was forced to withdraw a pernicious clause that could have transferred any unexpected costs of decommissioning new nuclear power stations to the taxpayer.

And on councils, the Minister waxed lyrical about the role councils have in tackling climate change and said how much he agreed with the direction of our campaign - it's just the time isn't right to regulate councils. But he has written to the Committee on Climate Change to explore them giving expert advice on what councils need to do in their patch to help meet Climate Change Act commitments.

So what next? Report Stage is expected in mid-July. This is the last debate on the Bill in the House of Commons where MPs can still make changes to the new law. The Labour Party has already decided to focus on our call for councils to tackle climate change - which is excellent. And the Minister has committed to report back about the expert advice for councils. To give him a little encouragement, we have launched a petition to the Minister which you can sign here.

We will also continue to push hard with our allies for the rented regulation to do what it says on the tin, for a national building retrofit strategy, and to block nuclear subsidy through the back door.

This law will be wrapped up by the time Parliament breaks for summer on 19 July. It has an admirable aim: to massively cut energy waste in homes and communities across the country. But it won't deliver the action needed unless Government takes on board our remaining asks. It really is worth one last push to get it right. I'm taking a day off to go to Glastonbury now - on Monday, I'll be back campaigning to win.

Liz Hutchins, Parliamentary Team