Meet Sir Robert Smith, interim chair of the ECC Committee
The Energy and Climate Change (ECC) committee has unanimously voted Liberal Democrat MP for West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine, Sir Robert Smith, as its new interim chair. Smith will stand in for Tory MP, Tim Yeo, who has stepped aside to answer lobbying allegations. So what do we know about Sir Bob?
Sir Robert Hill Smith is a baronet – third baronet to be precise – whose main job was managing the family estate in Aberdednshire before he was elected to Parliament in 1997. Among other positions, he has been deputy chief whip in the House of Commons and shadow deputy leader of the Liberal Democrats.
The ECC committee oversees how the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) spends government money. It also conducts public inquiries and makes policy recommendations to DECC. According to his parliamentary profile, Smith has been a committee member since 2009.
Despite holding some pretty prestigious positions within the LIberal Democrats, Smith has not been the highest-profile of the ECC committee members. While his views aren’t well known, his profile reveals an interesting mixture of influences.
Smith’s constituency is Scotland’s oil and gas hub, and he is active in parliamentary activityies to do with the industry. Meanwhile, his voting record indicates he is very interested in promoting the reduction of the UK’s emissions in line with the Lib Dems’ position on climate and energy policy.
Voting record
A look at his voting record reveals he has voted “strongly for” laws to stop climate change, including the Climate Change Act.
Most recently, however, Smith did not vote for Yeo’s proposed amendment to the forthcoming UK Energy Bill to introduce a target to “virtually decarbonise” the UK electricity system by 2030, even though the committee had been in favour of the measure.
At a meeting of the energy bill committee, Smith said while the target “would ideally be the solution”, the Lib Dems would “have to accept” the compromise the energy secretary, Ed Davey, had reached with the Chancellor and delay a decision on the measure until 2016.
Smith has also expressed concern about energy companies’ market power, asking in April whether the energy bill would ensure independent renewable energy generators are not disadvantaged in the new market structure, particularly when it comes to the way companies negotiate power purchase agreements.
Interesting
Like others on the ECC committee, Smith lists entries in the Parliamentary Register of Members’ Financial Interests related to the areas the committee covers.
He has shares in oil company Shell’s transport and trading arm, as political blogger and troublemaker, Guido Fawkes, has been quick to point out. It notes he also has shares in GlaxoSmithKline and mining company Rio Tinto, and went on jollies to the Olympics and Royal Opera House worth £750, courtesy of BP last year.
Committee members’ outside interests have been the subject of particular interest over the past week. Yeo announced last night he would step down temporarily from the committee after Sunday Times reporters posing as representatives of a solar energy company apparently filmed him admitting to coaching a representative from GB Railfreight who was about to give evidence before the ECC committee.
Yeo has shares in GB Railfreight’s parent company, Eurotunnel, but denies the allegations and has vowed to clear his name. Smith and Yeo aren’t the only ECC committee members to be criticised for their commercial interests in the energy industry, either.
Indeed, although Fawkes has made the case for ” banning committee chairman from having outside interests”, that might be easier said than done. Peter Lilley, the other rumoured contender for the post is non-executive chairman of Tethys Petroleum.
On his connections to companies, Smith told today’s Times:
“My financial interests are entered in the register and are open to public inspection. During any inquiry or evidence session that the select committee holds, I regularly remind the committee of my relevant interests.”
Smith’s interest in the oil and gas industry doesn’t end with the ECC committee – he’s also joint vice chair of the UK Offshore Oil and Gas Industry Group.
Smith also likes hill walking and sailing, and is treasurer of the House of Commons yacht club.