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Climate Change Bill [Lords]

I draw the House's attention to my entry in the Register of Members' Interests. It is a pleasure to follow the right hon. Member for Edinburgh, East (Dr. Strang), whose work on the Select Committee on Environment, Food and Rural Affairs is well known. I congratulate the Minister on his speech and on the way in which he handled a large number of interventions. He did so with the same courtesy and reasonable directness of response that he showed in his appearances before the Environmental Audit Committee, which I Chair. I congratulate the Government on introducing this measure, but the Opposition also deserve congratulations. Undoubtedly, they have helped to pave the way through the very strong support that my right hon. Friend the Member for Witney (Mr. Cameron) has given on this issue. I warmly congratulate the shadow Secretary of State, my hon. Friend the Member for East Surrey (Mr. Ainsworth), with whom I have done a sort of job swap during the past three years. I must say that I am very happy with the one I now have—I have more staff and better pay. The worst job in the whole of politics right now must be to be Chancellor of the Exchequer to the current Prime Minister. In 1993, I was the Minister of State dealing with climate change—I am glad to see my right hon. Friend the Member for Suffolk, Coastal (Mr. Gummer) here today, who was Secretary of State at that time—and it was almost the worst job, because climate change was not a mainstream subject then. If someone raised it at a dinner party, people thought that they were some sort of freak. Apart from scientists or paid-up green campaigners, no one had actually heard of it.