In response to the Government statement on the Stern Report, Charles Walker asks about the future role of nuclear power to reduce our dependency on fossil fuels.

Mr. Charles Walker (Broxbourne) (Con): I welcome the Government's plans to reduce carbon emissions. Bearing it in mind that growing economies like ours and the emerging ones of India and China are energy hungry, what role does the Secretary of State see for nuclear power in reducing our dependency on fossil fuels?

David Miliband: As the energy review made clear, nuclear power constitutes just under 20 per cent. of the total electricity supply. We believe that it is right that we start by reducing demand and promoting energy efficiency, but equally, if there comes to be a choice between oil, gas and nuclear, for me, as the Secretary of State pursuing climate change objectives, it is obvious that nuclear has the lowest carbon emissions of those three sources. We have also made it clear, however, that it is not for the public purse to subsidise nuclear investment; public investment should be restricted to renewable technologies that are further from the market. But we are also clear that, in a world where carbon does have a price, the economics of nuclear versus other energy sources changes.

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