§ 13. Mr. Rostasked the Secretary of State for Energy when he expects to reply to the Report of the Select Committee on Science and Technology on energy conservation.
§ Mr. EadieMy right hon. Friend told the Select Committee when he gave evidence to it in December that the recommendations in this Report were being studied carefully by my Department in close consultation with the other Departments concerned. The Government will reply to the Report as soon as possible after this work has been completed.
§ Mr. RostAs it is now more than a year since the Government announced their interim measures on energy conservation and more than six months since the Select Committee issued its critical report, is it not time that we debated the Government's longer-term strategy, investment programme and budget targets in the long-term policy of energy conservation?
§ Mr. EadieThe hon. Gentleman well knows that the arrangements for debates in the House are not made by any Energy Minister. I know that he is interested in these matters, and I must tell him, on the question of delay, that the 42 recommendations to which he refers are wide ranging and extensive in their implications, financial and otherwise. Many touch on responsibilities of other Ministers, including matters of transport policy, building regulations, and local authority finance—which are all matters for the Secretary of State for the Environment. Therefore, it would be wrong to anticipate the considered collective judgment of the Government. None the less, the Government recognise the importance of reaching a view on the issues as quickly as possible.