The university of East Anglia campus in my constituency is able to receive considerable heat and power from its unique biomass gasification plant, which is the first of its kind in the UK. When sustainable syngas cannot be produced due to the maintenance cleaning cycle, the boiler switches to natural gas. However, dual fuel plants are ineligible to receive renewable heat incentive payments. Will the Minister consider whether the RHI guidance could be made more flexible further to encourage investment in innovative low-carbon technologies?

What steps he is taking to support combined heat and power biomass gasification plants.

I congratulate the hon. Gentleman on securing this debate on a subject that is so important for Norfolk's economy. Whenever I have visited Lotus, I have been impressed to learn about its advances in low-carbon vehicle technologies. The UK car industry is a world leader in this area. Does he agree that if Lotus were to leave Norfolk and the UK, it would risk losing access to skills and expertise and jeopardising its ability further to develop its reputation in low-carbon technologies?

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport with reference to the 2012 Budget, what criteria he plans to use to allocate the additional funding for a second wave of 10 smaller super-connected cities.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assessment he has made of the level of consumer awareness and support for smart metering.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what the proposed budget is for the consumer engagement strategy under the smart metering implementation programme.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what the timetable is for developing and carrying out the consumer engagement strategy under the smart metering implementation programme; and if he will make a statement.

Many hospitals, including the Norfolk and Norwich university hospital, have reported a dramatic increase in alcohol-related admissions over the past 10 years, so I welcome the latest alcohol strategy. But what steps is the Secretary of State taking to support the expansion of treatment and early interventions for dependent and harmful drinkers in Norfolk and elsewhere?

I welcome the Deputy Prime Minister's commitment to attend the Rio+20 conference on sustainable development later this year. Will he inform the House on which priorities he personally intends to lead during those vital discussions on the future well-being of our planet?

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent progress she has made on developing a scoping study for a natural capital asset check.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps her Department has taken to support the initial work of the Natural Capital Committee.

Can the Secretary of State confirm that plans are progressing for the electrification of 800 miles of rail track? How does that scale of ambition compare with the achievements of the previous Government?

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if the Government will set a date by which it intends to achieve its long-term vision that no food waste is sent to landfill sites.

What further specific requirements on the CAA to take environmental factors into account were considered, but ultimately not included in the Bill? Why was that?

I recently met Norwich and District Carers Forum to hear about the work that it is undertaking, together with GP surgeries in Norfolk, to help identify carers in the county. What recent steps have Ministers taken to help identify and support carers in Norwich and elsewhere?

I know that my hon. Friend has been looking into the matter for some years. What does he consider to be the initial priorities of the adjudicator, once that office is established?

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the likely effect of increasing landfill tax on levels of food waste sent to landfill; and if she will make a statement.

That is a very good point, and I thank the hon. Gentleman for making it, but given the sometimes huge price differential between online and offline accounts, I hope that Ministers can work with Ofgem and the suppliers to seek to narrow the gap.

In recent years, competition for new customers seems to have been increasingly focused on price comparison websites. That has meant that those who use such tools can find massive discounts for web-only accounts, while the majority, who do not, end up paying more. To improve competition, we need simpler tariffs. Over 70% of consumers tested in Ofgem's market research said that they would be more likely to switch if tariffs were made clearer. With a bewildering 400 or so tariffs available, only 44% of people in Ofgem's research were able to select the cheapest tariff, even under a simplified form of the current arrangements.

We also need tariffs to be structured in a way that encourages energy conservation. A system of rising block tariffs-which was mentioned earlier-where customers pay less for the initial blocks of consumption and a rising amount for subsequent blocks, would provide an additional financial motivation for households to consider energy conservation. Low energy users would be rewarded for their efforts. At present, intensive energy users pay proportionately less.

I recognise that there are concerns about the unintended impacts that such a system could have on households that necessarily consume high amounts of energy, such as those of people with long-term health conditions who need to keep their house at a higher temperature. Perhaps we could consider other forms of social tariffs for such households, and examine whether extra support could be made available for housing insulation improvements, possibly through the green deal and through energy company observation. I know that Professor Hills's fuel poverty review will consider tariff structures in its final report, and I hope that energy conservation will be seen as an important part of that work.

I also want to mention smart meters, which could play a massively important role for consumers. Every household should have one by the end of this decade. As well as encouraging more efficient energy use and allowing for more precise billing, these meters will provide consumers with billing information on what they are paying for, at the touch of a button. There is great potential for people to use that information to ensure that they are getting a good deal. For households to get the maximum benefit, consideration must be given to how best to inform, engage, and motivate consumers to use their meters to the best effect. The consumer engagement strategy, which I hope to see being developed and implemented during this year, will have a vital role to play in that regard.

Simplifying and reforming tariffs and improving transparency are all necessary short-term steps required to increase competition. There are a few encouraging signs of competition in what is, overall, a difficult market for consumers. Today's announcement by EDF of a reduction in its customers' gas bills in response to the falling cost of imported gas, following similar moves by smaller suppliers such as Ovo and the Co-op, will be welcomed by many of my constituents. Last year, however, rising costs were passed on to customers very quickly, and I now want to see-on behalf of all of my constituents-action being taken by the other big five energy suppliers to reduce their prices. Whether or not they do so will be an indicator of how competitive the market is for consumers. If suppliers do not reduce

prices, how many of their customers will go elsewhere? Promoting competition now is vital, and I welcome the emphasis that Ministers, working with Ofgem, have given to this issue.

Today's debate is important. The issues are not simple, but the public rightly expect Ministers to intervene, and I welcome the progress that has been made in recent months. We are heading in the right direction, and I urge Ministers to continue.

In October we saw the launch of the "Check, switch, insulate to save" campaign. There is a clear need to raise awareness of what people can do today to reduce their bills. Many people can go online, check around for better deals and switch suppliers or change to a cheaper tariff, but three in every five consumers say that, in fact, they have never switched supplier. There are perhaps a number of reasons why not, one of which is that there remains a digital divide, which means that the information is not as easily or quickly available to all. What is more, many of the best deals are for online-only web accounts. Many households could save around £100 immediately by simply moving to an online account, but this is little help to those who have not embraced the internet, which in many cases also includes poorer households. Those who are not online include more than half the UK's over-65 population.

Other households tend to avoid doing too much of their business online, because they have poor quality internet access where they live. I strongly welcome the Government's investment in better broadband for Norfolk. Better communication links will allow more people to search online for the cheapest services and, as a result, become more powerful consumers. However, even with 100% broadband coverage, many households will still not connect to the internet. It is therefore vital that every effort be made to ensure that support is available for offline consumers to ensure that everyone can access the cheapest tariffs, not just the internet-savvy. I welcome the work that citizens advice bureaux and Ofgem are doing to help.

Does the Prime Minister share my concern about the impact of pocket-money priced alcohol on the state of our nation's health and antisocial behaviour in our town centres, as well as about the damage it does to our community pubs?