Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what his objectives are for the European Council meeting on energy security in February 2011. [35626]

Charles Hendry MP, Minister of State for Energy: The Prime Minister will be representing the UK at the European Council and he will be taking forward the UK objectives, which are: setting a long-term strategic vision for the move to a secure, sustainable and competitive low carbon economy by 2050; providing renewed political momentum to such a move; and agreeing on practical action to facilitate the necessary infrastructure investment, to improve how EU energy markets work and increase their integration, to support low carbon technologies and to encourage a step change in energy efficiency. The Council should also endorse the importance of the EU's external energy policy and the role of both the Commission and member states in this.