Climate Change Bill [HL]

My remarks will be extremely brief. I support the amendments moved by my noble friends for the very reasons that they gave, but will give an additional reason. I can well recall when we were taking the lottery Bill through that we made it clear to the House that we would make available a day’s debate every year, to see if the House wished to vary the amount of money going to the particular lottery interests and distributors, according to the change in the circumstances of cultural life. That there was going to be such an opportunity was a powerful reason the figures that we put into the Bill originally were not amended. We did not, as I recall, in any way stipulate this as being a formal part of the lottery process. It is no surprise that an incoming Administration chose to handle the lottery in a quite different way, perhaps because that restraint was not available. Had we had the opportunity to debate the purposes of the Lottery more frequently, the lottery might be in a happier position today. For that reason—the same as given by the noble Lord, Lord Teverson—it is highly desirable that the opportunity for debate, as this 43 years unfolds, is all to the good.