Public Accounts Committee

The £18 billion cost of Hinkley Point C will hit the UK’s poorest people the hardest. That’s the conclusion from the group of MPs that make up the Public Account Committee, which has published a new report suggesting households have been locked into a costly and long-lasting deal. The government approved the new nuclear power […]

MPs have expressed concern over rising energy bills on the Royal Estate, after its utility bills soared 50% in just one year to more than £3 million, taking up 10% of the estate’s budget. Royal aides came under fire from Public Accounts Committee for failing to take action to bring costs under control, with Labour […]

The cost of decommissioning the Sellafield nuclear site has reached £67.5 billion and there’s no indication of when it will stop rising. A new report by the Public Accounts Committee showed around £1.6 billion of public money is being spent at the site every year but is not convinced the taxpayers’ are “getting a good […]

There is a potential million-pound “funding gap” for flood defence systems, claim MPs in a critical report out today. The Public Accounts Committee report adds communities in at-risk areas may not be guaranteed insurance within two years. In the report, MPs looked at the how the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) and […]

Representatives of the electrotechnical industry have lent their support to the Government for the planned roll-out of smart meters. The devices, which allow the monitoring of energy usage in a property, have recently come under fire from critics over estimates of their costs. A report by MPs on the Public Accounts Committee warned the meters […]

One of the DECC’s flagship policies, the roll-out of energy-monitoring ‘smart meters’ has been condemned before its inception by MPs and consumer groups over fears the costs for such a program may spiral out of control. Which? are calling for a review before consumers are burdened with an £11 billion bill. Richard Lloyd, executive director […]