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Climate Change and Sustainable Energy Bill

My Lords, again, there are two different questions. There is the question of emissions—I do not know what is Portugal’s policy on emissions—and there is the question of whether daylight saving time saves energy. Portugal is of interest because it is one country that moved towards daylight saving time and, having experienced it, moved back. The evidence from Portugal is that the change did not save energy during that period. That is why we keep citing the Portuguese experience: they have tried it and have experience of what happened. The noble Lord, Lord Tanlaw, also questioned whether we had saved emissions through our climate change policies. We estimate that, if our policies had not been in place, carbon dioxide emissions in 2010 would be only 1 per cent lower than in 1990, rather than the 15 to 18 per cent lower that they are now projected to be. I turn to Clause 13. The Government have been criticised in the past for poor compliance with building regulations, especially the energy efficiency requirements. Local authorities have been asking for the change that we shall make, which seems sensible. The key change is that the time limit for prosecutions will start from the discovery of a breach of the regulations—when the local authority has sufficient evidence to justify proceedings—rather than, as now, the completion of the works. If the clock runs from completion, the late emergence of what may not be obvious defects can eat into the time that the local authority needs to make a proper, effective case. We find that six months becomes two or three months. The local authorities rightly say that it should be six months from the time of discovery, which is still a comparatively short period. So, there is good reason for that part of the Bill. Overall, the Government’s view is that it is an excellent Bill. It opens doors for action at individual and community level and includes the kind of actions that will make a real difference, particularly in informing and enthusing communities. I hope that it receives a speedy passage through the House.