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The deckchairs of government were subject to a major reshuffle after last summer’s EU referendum, and with it, the parallel Parliamentary committees scrutinising them. One man who’s seat was moved even closer to the helm of Parliament was Iain Wright MP, chair of the BIS Committee which now operates as the Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) Committee. Over breakfast with a group of energy industry leaders, Iain set out his vision for the committee and what he sees as key issues for the government.

Business was in the committee’s previous brief and energy, while being a huge and varied sector, is a well-trodden policy path, but Industrial Strategy is a new departure for the 21st century Westminster community. That’s why the Committee has been running an inquiry into the issue and will publish their findings very soon. Other new agendas to be examined include ‘scale-up’ businesses and how we treat energy as a whole system, rather than in its separate parts.

Returning to energy policy, and fresh from a fiery Committee session on energy prices, Iain was quick to set out his commitment to the new brief, quelling the idea that a sub-committee might be established by saying that energy should be ‘front and centre’ of the committee’s focus. He briefly outlined his priorities moving forward, noting that the role of energy regulator Ofgem and methods of increasing competition in the industry will be a focal point of the Committee’s work under his leadership. Speaking to attendees, he probed them on the changing landscape of energy distribution saying that, in his view, the system is moving towards a two-way model with customers not just buying energy, but selling it back to the grid too.

He challenged what made for a good energy company, noting that in his view, the better the company, the more stable their prices. The industry often blames government policy costs but this excuse is wearing thin. With customer funding for things like low carbon generation and energy efficiency measures making up only 7% of a typical energy bill, price rises around the 10% mark are becoming difficult to justify on that basis.

Of course these bills don’t just pay for the energy we use, they pay for the future of the energy system and developing the infrastructure we need to deliver the smart, flexible energy system that fits with an Industrial Strategy. Getting this right is no mean feat and Iain and the BEIS Committee will play a key role in making sure the government’s policy agenda is on the right track.