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Climate Change and SustainableEnergy Bill

In my constituency, not all new homes are built in back gardens. In the report, the Committee expressed concern that houses have already been constructed and will continue to be built without sufficient regard to strong environmental standards. We believe that too much reliance has been put on developers’ good sense to do the right thing of their own volition. The report spoke of a fundamental lack of urgency in the Government’s approach to ensuring that new housing and new communities are truly sustainable. Although I believe that the Government are sincere in their commitment to better environmental standards, they cannot be left to chance and voluntary or private initiative. I reinforce the Committee’s conclusion that it is for the Government to provide strong leadership for developers and for local authorities.