Great British Energy Bill: call for evidence
10 September 2024
Do you have relevant expertise and experience or a special interest in the Great British Energy Bill, which is currently passing through Parliament?
If so, you can submit your views in writing to the House of Commons Public Bill Committee which is going to consider this Bill.
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The Public Bill Committee is now able to receive written evidence. The sooner you send in your submission, the more time the Committee will have to take it into consideration. The Public Bill Committee will scrutinise the Bill line by line. The first sitting of the Public Bill Committee is expected to be on Tuesday 8 October and the Committee is scheduled to report by Tuesday 15 October 2024. However, please note that when the Committee concludes its consideration of the Bill it is no longer able to receive written evidence and it can conclude earlier than the expected deadline of 5.00pm on Tuesday 15 October 2024. You are strongly advised to submit your written evidence as soon as possible. |
Aims of the Bill
The bill includes provisions to create a new company, Great British Energy (GBE). GBE would be a publicly owned energy company designed to drive deployment of low-carbon, ‘clean’ energy (meaning energy not derived from fossil fuels).
The Bill says that the objects of GBE are restricted to facilitating, encouraging and participating in—
(a) the production, distribution, storage and supply of clean energy,
(b) the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions from energy produced from fossil fuels,
(c) improvements in energy efficiency, and
(d) measures for ensuring the security of the supply of energy.
The bill includes provisions that designate GBE as a company. It would be operationally independent of government with its own CEO and board of directors. GBE would be wholly owned by the Crown.
The bill sets out the objects of GBE. The Secretaty of State must prepare a statement of strategic priorities (clause 5) - these strategic priorities must be laid before Parliament. The bill also includes provisions for the government to provide GBE with financial assistance.
GBE would be headquartered in Scotland, although the final location has yet to be announced.[1] The bill would extend to the whole of the United Kingdom.
Follow the progress of the Great British Energy Bill
The Great British Energy Bill 2024-25 was introduced to the Commons on 25 July 2024. The second reading of the bill was held on 5 September 2024.
- Bills before Parliament: Great British Energy Bill
- Read Explanatory Notes: Great British Energy Bill
- House of Commons Library Briefing Paper
Oral evidence sessions are expected to be held on Tuesday 8 October.
Guidance on submitting written evidence
Deadline for written evidence submissions
The Public Bill Committee is now able to receive written evidence. The sooner you send in your submission, the more time the Committee will have to take it into consideration and possibly reflect it in an amendment. The order in which amendments are taken in Committee will be available in due course under Selection of Amendments on the Bill documents pages. Once the Committee has dealt with an amendment it will not revisit it.
The first sitting of the Public Bill Committee is expected to be on Tuesday 8 October and the Committee is scheduled to report by Tuesday 15 October. However, please note that when the Committee concludes its consideration of the Bill it is no longer able to receive written evidence and it can conclude earlier than the expected deadline of 5.00pm on Tuesday 15 October. You are strongly advised to submit your written evidence as soon as possible.
Your submission should be emailed to scrutiny@parliament.uk
Further guidance on submitting written evidence can be found here (pdf, 1MB).
Image: Parliamentary Copyright
[1] Great British Energy founding statement, Department for Energy Security & Net Zero Policy Paper, published 25 July 2024