---

Climate Change Bill [HL]

I cannot understand why the Government are resisting this. Under the Bill the committee has only an advisory responsibility, and the Government can ignore the committee’s advice if they wish. If at the end of a five-year period there was a conflict between the committee and the Government about the action required, we might find that there was a shortfall irrespective of whatever recommendation the committee has made during that period. What mechanism would then exist to ensure that we went into the next period with a policy to deal with deficits from the previous period?