Climate Change Bill [HL]

My noble friend Lady Byford perhaps sought to address the point that it is quite difficult, when considering legislation in this way—with dialogue between the Government and the Opposition leading, I hope, to positive developments—to pin things down. A lot is going to depend—this is the implication behind the noble Baroness’s intervention—on the Government’s response at Report; we hope that the Government really have been listening. I have been listening to the gems—it has been a bit like being in Aladdin’s cave: the gem from the Minister and the beautiful, sparkling gem from my noble friend Lord Crickhowell about legality. This is truly a different Bill and it imposes legal restraints. I return to the previous set of amendments because in some ways it is more important that there is a clearly determined strategy in the public domain that is clear and part and parcel of the discussions. It is obvious to all of us that Governments are going to seek to implement a strategy. If they do not, they will be shown to have failed. So the publication of the strategy is probably more important than the legal duty to implement it. Bearing that in mind, I beg leave to withdraw the amendment. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn.