Have your say on the Energy Bill
19 January 2016 (updated on 19 January 2016)
Do you have relevant expertise and experience or a special interest in the 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.
Aims of the Bill
The Energy Bill 2015–16 introduces provisions related to the regulation of the UK’s offshore oil and gas industry and also provisions related to planning requirements for onshore wind farms, and the ending of public subsidies for new onshore wind farms under the Renewables Obligation.
Purpose of the Energy Bill
- Establishing the Oil and Gas Authority (OGA) as an independent regulator, taking the form of a government company. This will be achieved by transferring the existing regulatory powers on oil and gas held by the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change (the Secretary of State) to the OGA. The OGA would also be granted additional powers, which include—but are not limited to—access to company meetings and dispute resolutions.
- Removing the requirement for the Secretary of State to give planning consent for onshore windfarms larger than 50 megawatts. When combined with secondary legislation to be made by the Government to amend the Planning Act 2008, this consenting requirement would be effectively transferred into the planning regime under the Town and Country Planning Act 1990.
- Providing for the cessation of public subsidies for new onshore windfarms under the Renewables Obligation (RO).
The Bill would also validate prior charges made by the Offshore Oil and Gas Environment and Decommissioning Unit (OGED).
Follow the progress of the Energy Bill
The Energy Bill was initially published in the House of Lords and completed its Parliamentary stages there on 4 November 2015. The Bill arrived in the House of Commons on 5 November 2015 and had its second reading debate on 18 January 2016.
- Catch up on Parliament News: MPs debate Energy Bill
- Bills before Parliament: Energy Bill 2015-16
- Read Explanatory Notes: Energy Bill 2015-16
This Bill has now been committed to a Public Bill Committee which will hold its first meeting on Tuesday 26 January. Further dates will be agreed once the Bill Committee has met, although Bill Committees usually meet on Tuesdays and Thursdays. The Public Bill Committee is expected to finish and report the Bill to the House by Tuesday 9 February 2016. Please note, there are no oral evidence sessions scheduled.
Deadline for submissions
The Public Bill Committee is now able to receive written evidence. Your submission should be emailed to scrutiny@parliament.uk The sooner you send in your submission, the more time the Committee will have to take it into consideration. The Committee is expected to meet for the first time on Tuesday 26 January; it will stop receiving written evidence at the end of the Committee stage on Tuesday 9 February 2016. Please note that when the Committee reports it is no longer able to receive written evidence and it can report earlier than the expected deadline of 5.00pm on Tuesday 9 February 2016.
For further details on how to submit evidence to public bill committee please refer to the Guidance on submitting written evidence.