a year, year in and year out, that we are continuing to pay for electricity that was consumed in the fifties, sixties and seventies on a false prospectus. Yet the total nuclear liabilities that the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority now deal with are estimated to be 49 billion, and I cannot be confident that the figure will not rise again as we discover yet more problems. Just look at the history of rose-tinted spectacles: the provisions for nuclear decommissioning costs in total were 2 million in 1970. 472 million in 1980. 9.5 billion in 1990. 22.5 billion in 2000. And now 53.7 billion. It seems to me essential reassurance to tax-payers and energy consumers that I and my successors can honestly say "This will never happen again". Despite this history, I believe that nuclear electricity can and should play a part in our energy future provided that new nuclear is built without public subsidy. And it is precisely because of that post-dated bill from past nuclear mistakes that I reiterate with exceptional feeling "without public subsidy". The reason is the same as so many other environmentally-minded people now give. Nuclear energy has risks, but we face the greater risk of accelerating climate change if we do not embark on another generation of nuclear power. Time is running out. Nuclear can be a vital and affordable means of providing low carbon electricity. In tough times, I am acutely aware of the stresses and strains on household budgets, and I want British electricity