Climate Change Bill [HL]

moved Amendment No. 29: "29: Clause 4, page 3, line 14, at end insert—""““( ) A carbon budget may contain amounts for particular sectors of the economy.””" The noble Lord said: It is tempting to reprise the previous debate, but it is a running theme of all our debates in this Committee that the success of the Bill will depend on the power and authority that we give to the climate change committee. We now come to another area in which we seek to empower the committee and, in turn, put some spine into the Bill. This group of amendments offers provision for the climate change committee to set carbon budgets for particular sectors if it feels that it is an effective way in which to contribute to emissions reduction. They also stipulate that reports on carbon emissions should contain breakdowns by sector, such that we are afforded a clearer picture of from where our emissions are coming. This should be taken in two parts—to allow the climate change committee to budget for sectors, and the stipulation of reporting on emissions by sector. I shall deal first with the whole concept of sectoral budgets. There are various arguments for and against having carbon budgets broken down by sector. We have tabled the amendment allowing the climate change committee to budget for sectors without mandating that it does so or that it does so for all sectors. The purpose of this is to ensure that it considers the potential advantages of sectoral targets and is at liberty to produce budgets containing sectoral breakdowns should they prove to be beneficial. Budgets for sectors can be useful in targeting specific areas of the economy that are in dire need of improvement. If the net UK carbon account is considered too broadly, it risks ignoring the fact that tremendous efforts in some sectors might be mitigated by the emissions of another. They might also serve as a means of providing early incentives to the industry that emits most carbon. However, there are arguments that dictating too much from the top strips away some of the dynamism and innovation required to combat climate change effectively. The noble Lord, Lord Campbell-Savours, mentioned earlier the role of the markets in tackling climate change—and that certainly is a factor. Certain sectors might be able to reduce emissions by availing themselves of the services of others. There is a risk that it will provide too prescriptive a framework; likewise, there is a risk that a particular sector of the economy will not be as progressive about reaching targets if it feels that it has comfortably met its particular target. Will the Minister comment on the role of sectoral targets in carbon budgets? Does he think that they are a useful weapon and would he be prepared to see them included in the Bill, in an amendment such as this? Once again—and this repeats a theme that has run through this evening’s debates—we feel that this is a decision best left to the experts on the climate change committee. I beg to move.