Climate Change Bill [HL]

It is. There are lots of committees. I am sticking to the Committee on Climate Change at the moment. It is a completely free agent; I make that absolutely clear. This Bill does not restrict the Committee on Climate Change from looking at any factor outside that list, whether social, economic, technical or political. We do not think that Amendment No. 48 is helpful. We believe the specific issue of decisions on the level of carbon budgets to be already adequately covered by the matter of scientific knowledge about climate change. We drafted that list to allow for very wide interpretation of its scope by both the Committee and the Secretary of State. Both the Committee and the Government are required to take climate change into account in the consideration of carbon budgets. We are not sure what value would be added by the amendment. We think the points made are adequately covered by the list. We do not want to add to the list unless some cast-iron case is brought forward, and we have not seen one at the present time. As I have said, Clause 10 (3) gives the Committee massive scope. Amendments Nos. 49A, 50B, 51A and 53A would adjust the focus of the matters in Clause 10 to be considered by both the Committee on Climate Change and the Government. These amendments would require the Government and the committee to consider the impact of climate change on these issues. I understand that these amendments may have been prompted by the concern that considering the impacts of the level of the budget on economic and fiscal circumstances may lead to inaction or the setting of an unambitious budget. I begin by emphasising that as the Bill requires the Secretary of State to set a carbon budget for each period—inaction is not an option. There is no get-out for the Secretary of State in that respect because of the requirement on the office. When considering the impacts of decisions on the level of the budget on the matters listed in Clause 10, the Government and the committee will need to consider the impacts, costs and benefits of a range of levels for the carbon budget. That will ensure that the costs of the impacts of climate change will be considered alongside the costs of setting a budget at a particular level. We feel that the amendments misunderstand the intention of the provisions in Clause 10, which are the, "““matters to be taken into account””," and balanced by the Committee on Climate Change and the Government when providing advice and making decisions. In considering the level of the budget, it is right that the impact of such decisions on the matters in Clause 10 should also be considered. The committee is required to take account of, "““scientific knowledge about climate change””," which will include consideration of the effects of climate change. We have not been prescriptive in drafting the clause. While Ministers have a good degree of sympathy with the amendments, we genuinely believe that the way in which the clause is drafted has the desired effect. Therefore, I ask the noble Lord to withdraw the amendment.