Commission on Energy and the Environment (Hansard, 9 July 1981)

§ Mr. Heseltine

As part of the continuing review of public and advisory bodies the Government have been giving consideration to the future of the Commission on Energy and the Environment. The commission is just about to complete a major study of the longer term environmental implications of future coal production, supply and use in the United Kingdom. This report, together with the sixth report of the Royal Commission on environmental pollution, on nuclear power and the environment, will provide the Government with comprehensive and authoritative surveys covering the major areas of interaction between energy policy and the environment. There is no other single area of such significance as to justify, at present, exhaustive examination by a group of the commission's standing particularly as other fora exist for this purpose.

I and my colleagues, the Secretaries of State for Energy, Scotland and Wales, have decided, therefore, to allow the commission to fall into abeyance for the time 218W being. We should, of course, reconstitute the body if it proved necessary. We shall continue to look for advice on specific related issues to the Royal Commission on environmental pollution and the advisory council on energy conservation. We hope also that the new parliamentary Select Committees will play an important part in the development of appropriate strategies and in the discussion of these issues generally.

Meanwhile, we look forward to the publication of the coal study report later in the year.