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Climate Change Bill [HL]

We are back to a topic that we broached on 8 January on our third day in Committee, when I listened with much interest to what the Minister, who is now in his place, had to say about the likely outcome of a falling out between Westminster and some of the devolved Administrations. The amendment that I moved at that point was criticised because it implied that Westminster was wielding a big stick against the devolved Administrations in a field where it no longer had any right to do so. I support the amendment tabled by my noble friend Lord Dixon-Smith because it is a much milder take on the thing. The co-ordination of the national authorities on all aspects of the Bill, which my noble friend described, will be difficult but essential to the Bill’s success. The Minister has mentioned several times in Committee that devolved authorities have issued statements about their intent to comply with the Bill, but he himself flagged up very early on the fact that one of the dangers in considering the Bill at the moment is that there is currently huge general enthusiasm for the concept. So far as I remember, only once, in a major intervention in our discussions, was the point made about how people will view the measures when they are causing disadvantage or deprivation. Science may progress; the accepted wisdom may change; individuals, regions or national authorities may disagree. As the Bill is really only a skeleton, and as so much is left to secondary legislation that is yet to come, it is important that national authorities agree on the action that they will be involved in implementing. Having a provision that requires their agreement is the only way in which they can exercise their functions jointly, as it says in the Bill. Thus, in order to ensure that all national authorities will be able to implement the various complicated measures contained in the Bill, I strongly support the amendment of my noble friend Lord Dixon-Smith.