Twelfth report of Session 2009-10 : Documents considered by the Committee on 24 February 2010, including the following recommendations for debate, Pre-accession assistance to the Western Balkan states and Turkey; financial services, report, together with

On cover and title page: House, committees of the whole House, general committees and select committees

A preliminary report on the Terrorist Asset-Freezing etc Bill published as the Committee's third report of session 2010-11 (HL 41/HC 535, ISBN 9780108472732)

The central theoretical question of The Privatisation of Immigration Control through Carrier Sanctions concerns the social working of legal rules. Sophie Scholten examines how states, private companies (carriers) and people (passengers) have become interconnected through carrier sanctions legislation. Scholten describes the legal framework in the Netherlands and the UK and international and European legislative rules developed on the subject. The author ties in with debates on privatisation of control in general and of immigration control in particular. As such the author provides a much needed new look at a field which as not attracted detailed academic attention. Scholten opens up fascinating questions about the relationship of the public and private sectors in the complex and politically sensitive area of immigration.

Government provides support to households who install small-scale renewable energy systems through Feed-in Tariffs (FiT), while large scale projects like off-shore wind farms will soon be supported through new fixed-price Contracts for Difference (CfDs). Medium sized energy projects of between 10 - 50 Megawatts (MW) currently fall in the gap and do not receive support. Giving communities a stake in local energy projects has the potential to broaden public understanding of energy issues and could also enhance the security and efficiency of the energy system as a whole. This report identifies a number of barriers that can prevent local energy projects getting off the ground. Securing funding and Power Purchase Agreements, connecting to the grid and overcoming public opposition can all prove difficult. Obtaining planning permission can be costly and time-consuming, and the risk of losing tens of thousands of pounds if permission is not granted is a huge obstacle for community groups or small cooperatives. Some form of support mechanism is needed alongside a comprehensive package of measures addressing finance, planning, grid access and advice. The Green Investment Bank could provide seed funding and project development funding for feasibility studies, grid permits, etc to reduce some of the risk in getting projects through the planning process. Government needs to do more to encourage local authorities to identify suitable areas for renewable energy development and to develop clear guidance about what is expected from local energy projects. National level planning guidance should be provided on technical issues that hold up planning consent for wind turbines and other low-carbon technologies

Consumer engagement with the energy market is low. The lack of engagement is linked to low levels of competition and a high proportion of customers who are unlikely or unwilling to switch energy supplier. With little incentive for suppliers to offer consumers a better deal, some customers are getting worse deals than others, which reduces consumer trust. Ofgem hopes to increase both engagement and competition by simplifying tariffs and making it easier to switch. The Government has pledged to require providers to give customers the cheapest tariff. The Committee suggests that indicators should be established to measure the success of these proposed reforms. Also, greater transparency is needed in respect of energy company profits and prices, to restore consumer confidence and streamlining the various sources of information on energy issues would also promote consumer trust. The Government's plans lack detail on how consumer access to information about energy efficiency will be increased. By highlighting these issues, the Committee hopes to kickstart a national conversation about the cost to consumers of investing in the provision of secure, clean and affordable energy supplies for the future. For oral and written evidence, see Volume 2 (ISBN 9780215052186)

Failure to build a new fleet of nuclear power stations in the UK could make it much more expensive to meet our climate change targets and Ministers must urgently develop a back-up energy strategy. The nuclear industry has outlined plans that would deliver 16GW new nuclear power stations by 2025. Although the Government and industry have learnt some important lessons from this process, there are still a number of obstacles which could delay new build projects in the UK. The Committee supports the Government's use of "Contracts for Difference" (CfDs) to help make new nuclear power stations easier to finance, but are concerned at the lack of transparency around the price negotiations. The new contracts must provide value for money for consumers and should not be offered at a price that is higher than other low-carbon sources of energy, such as offshore wind, which is hoped to be around £100/MWh by 2020. Public attitudes have an important role to play in projects to build new nuclear power stations. The Committee is concerned that local communities might not be able to take part in planning consultations on an equal footing with the project developers. The report recommends that the Government should consider providing more support to local community groups so that they can engage better with the planning process. The Government has plans to allow local authorities hosting renewable energy projects to retain business rates. The report argues that this scheme should be extended to new nuclear projects too.