The Government set out its legislative agenda for the coming year in the Queen's Speech on May 9th, including announcements in two key areas of ICE’s policy and public voice work – water and energy.
As expected a draft Water Bill was announced however ICE is concerned that consultation on the Bill could mean measures required to tackle the current drought affecting much of the UK will be further delayed. The draft Bill will consult on much of the content of last year's 'Water for Life' white paper, which has already gone through proper consultation processes.
ICE responded in the media, expressing disappointment that the Water Bill was announced only in draft form, given the urgency of the situation. Director General Nick Baveystock said, “We urgently need to address the growing gap between our water supply and demand, as highlighted by the current droughts, and it cannot be done without firm action and commitment from Government.
"Every day that goes by without the implementation of changes already outlined and consulted on in the white paper last year, we get further and further away from a resolution to our current and future water problems.”
Next month sees the release of ICE's 'State of the Nation: Water' report, which will address the UK’s water woes now and in the future with a focus on how the UK can reduce demand and use existing resources more effectively. This follows a dedicated media campaign around the droughts, highlighting the need for a change in our water resource management in future.
Details of the Energy Bill were also announced in the Queen’s speech, another area where ICE has been vocal about the need for action and urgency. The Bill will follow on from the Electricity Market Reform white paper published in December 2011, and aims to change the market to enable large investment in low-carbon generation, in a cost-effective way.
ICE said the Bill must provide clarity and certainty for private investors if they are to be prepared to make long-term investments in our future. “In the UK we are faced with the three issues of security of supply, decarbonisation and affordability which, combined, places very considerable pressure on industry and on Government,” he said.
“The Bill will need to incentivise investment in a mix of energy sources that will satisfy all three challenges.” He warned that urgency was key. "We cannot just keep delaying if we want to keep the lights on in the long-term, meet our carbon targets, and, importantly, benefit from exporting renewable technology with the associated effect on jobs, growth and skills.”