Your mission . . .

I served as Parliamentary Private Secretary to John Hayes when he was Minister for Skills but it was all change in the September reshuffle when John became the Minister of State at the Department of Energy and Climate Change (or DECC).

He phoned me shortly after meeting the PM at Number 10 and asked if I would move with him and remain his PPS — I was delighted to do so. He's fun and I have learned a lot from him. 'So why are they moving you to DECC?' I asked. 'Mel, we've got to stop the lights going out,' he replied. It felt a bit like a slightly quirky scene from Mission Impossible — 'your mission Mel, should you decide to accept it is . . . to keep the lights on.'

But mission it is. By 2030 our demand for electricity will have expanded by 15%. This growth is driven by increased economic activity, the greater use of electricity in the home, in commerce and in the transport sector — where electric vehicle use will expand.

This demand growth coincides with a contraction in existing generating capacity with 20% of our existing plant (fossil and nuclear) due to be decommissioned within a decade. £110—billion in largely private investment in our network and generating capacity is needed over the next decade.

There are also the challenges of energy security, meeting our carbon targets and electricity affordability. Not easy targets to reconcile.

The Government has already produced a draft energy bill. It is one of the largest and most important bills that remain to go through Parliament prior to the next General Election. I am pleased to have an opportunity to play a part in this great endeavour but fully aware of the importance, magnitude and difficulty of the task ahead.