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Local Transport Bill [HL]

My Lords, some of us are surprised and a little concerned that so many amendments and clauses were brought to this House at such a late stage, but I accept the Minister's statement that a lot of them are tidying-up amendments and improve the Bill. I do not intend to say too much, except to welcome one or two things, but we have one or two concerns that we should discuss about provisions that might reduce the democratic aspect of the Bill. We are also obviously concerned about the imposition on local authorities. That will come up during the evening. I especially welcome the amendment that means that we should consult passengers. We all think that we should do that; we discussed it at an earlier stage. I also welcome the Minister's comments on climate change; however, I hope that the Government practise what they preach. When you cross the QE2 Bridge as you go round the M25, a cloud continuously hangs over the toll booths. The Government may solve such things. Charges for the Dartford Crossing should be considered. The Government should practise what they preach, but I tend to agree with the majority of the amendments, so I have no further comments.