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Climate Change and Sustainable Energy Bill

I, too, commend the hon. Member for Edinburgh, North and Leith (Mark Lazarowicz) for his foresight in introducing the Bill. I very much welcome the contribution that he has made by encouraging a progressive and sensible response to climate change. The time is long overdue for us to confront this ever-present and growing concern, so I should like to talk about the broader principles that the Bill addresses. We must all recognise that we face an overriding problem when dealing with climate change. My hon. Friend the Member for South-West Bedfordshire (Andrew Selous) identified the difficulty during the Opposition day debate on tackling climate change. He said then that"““we are unlikely to make progress on climate change until the public take it more seriously, and . . . we have all failed in doing that job””.—[Official Report, 12 October 2005, vol. 437, c. 365.]" That very much backs up the point that my right hon. Friend the Member for Bromley and Chislehurst (Mr. Forth) made. This is not a high priority on many people’s lists. When lists are published they include crime, health care and law and order, all of which are far more pressing issues on people’s minds. However, as my hon. Friend the Member for Kettering (Mr. Hollobone) and thee right hon. Member for Oxford, East (Mr. Smith) said, this is indeed a pressing matter, particularly for young people. They are the people who send me letters and make representations to me on the subject.