Examination of Witnesses (Question 178-179)
Mr Allan Asher
28 APRIL 2008
Q178Chairman: Mr Asher, thank you very much
indeed for coming. I am sorry we have delayed you somewhat, but
thank you for sitting through the evidence a little bit earlier
from National Grid. For the record, would you like to introduce
yourself, your organisation and your title?
Mr Asher: It is Allan Asher, Chief Executive
of Energywatch.
Q179 Chairman: I think it would help
the committee, having heard what National Grid have said, and
you probably followed some of our proceedings if you had a chance
to read the transcripts, if you would like to make an opening
statement?
Mr Asher: Yes; indeed. I think Energywatch
and, we feel, consumers in general are very sympathetic to the
overall goals of increasing the proportion of energy from renewables,
and that includes power and all other energy cases as well, that
is transport and heat. I think it is increasingly the case that
public opinion polls show that consumers regard sustainable development
as important and climate change threats as something that they
would like to contribute to. However, having said that, there
is an obvious gulf between consumers' expressions of that kind
and their behaviour as both energy buyers and energy consumers,
and I guess that, for our part, until there is reconciliation
between those gulfs, the prospect of the UK getting anywhere near
its targets is going to depend on understanding why it is that
this growing gulf exists and how, if consumers are not dealt with
in a sensitive way, they might become actively hostile to the
sorts of measures that push up costs and edit choices and things
like that, and so I think it is a serious issue.
Chairman: I am going to ask Lord Ryder
to open the questions. From the point of view of the consumer,
I think we need to develop your latter points in greater detail.
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