Climate Change Bill [HL]

I return to the debate on the theme that the noble Lord, Lord Woolmer, brought up and which was raised also in contributions from other noble Lords. It brings to mind a particular element that we have not talked about: the degree to which there is genuine enthusiasm—a wish to co-operate and to see this working—outside political circles and among industry and the community at large. It is important to bear that in mind. The second notion that I would like to introduce to our deliberations is the idea that this does not need to be all top-down; it can be bottom-up. In fact, any sector that one can think of or that has been mentioned today has a capacity to produce of its own account a way in which to will the means to achieve the end. That is an important way of making this work, with a dialogue between the Committee on Climate Change and the sectors that it identifies. The sectors that volunteer because they recognise their own role do not want a decision imposed on them; they want to be part of the decision-making process. They need to be at its heart. I was reading something last week with my wife, a county councillor who was at the Local Government Association conference held last week. Confusingly, the association has a climate change commission that is looking at this matter. Its commission has come forward to volunteer the local government sector for climate change targets. It has recognised that local government is an area that can effect policies that will influence climate change. I introduced these amendments fairly briefly because they are simple. They would simply introduce sectoral budgets onto the playing field in order to give the Committee on Climate Change and the Government a mechanism to implement the Bill more successfully. A lot of good could come out of including and working with these ideas.