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[Nov 2005]
CPA Gets Energy Message to Minister of State
Speaking at the Construction Products Association (CPA) Annual Lunch, President Roy Harrison told Alun Michael, the UK's Minister of State for Trade & Industry, that with companies facing a doubling of prices for gas and electricity contracts, the industry wanted Government action.
Questioning why gas prices in the UK were the highest in Europe, Roy Harrison said: "If companies are going to continue to invest in the UK, the Government must set a clear framework for ensuring industry has a secure supply of energy at prices that compare favourably with those they have to pay in countries with which they have to compete.
"It is not a sustainable solution to drive industry out of the UK to countries where environmental standards are not as high and from which products are exported back to the UK. Minister, I hope you will take this message back to your colleagues in Government and stress that we want them to act now and not wait until it is too late.
"It is bizarre at a time like this that Government continues to insist that companies engaged in the EU Emissions Trading Scheme should be required to pay the Climate Change Levy, and I see this as a priority for the Chancellor in his Pre Budget Report later this year."
ENDS