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Climate Change Bill [HL]

For once, I disagree with my noble friend. For better or worse, we have devolution. I was not in favour of it and I still do not think that it is a great idea, and I think that the harvest from it is yet to be reaped in full. However, having got devolution, one must accept that countries such as Scotland can do their own thing. My noble friend and I are very fortunate that the home information pack is voluntary in Scotland, whereas it is compulsory in England. It is of great benefit to us in Scotland to have different law. Scotland will bring in its own climate change Bill and it may do things slightly differently from the way they are done in England. However, having got devolution, I think that the devolved Administrations should be given the flexibility to act. Certain things might be done better in Scotland than in England and certain things might be done worse, but that is a problem with devolution. Therefore, asking for a duty to be placed on the authorities to co-operate with the Secretary of State will go against the spirit and the whole point of the devolution legislation.