Climate Change Bill [HL]

I freely admit that I have not explained because we are trying to address two different issues here. On the one hand, the intention is to stop little trading schemes being set up in different parts of the UK. That would cause difficulties. Our intention is for the Bill to be as flexible as possible and in the main for most trading schemes to be UK wide. But to be UK-wide in devolved areas where the policy is devolved, we have to include the national authorities; that is, the Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland Administrations. Acting in concert with the Secretary of State—with England, if I can put it that way—we can get a UK-wide trading scheme up and running. So if the intention is to stop one-off trading schemes in the national authority areas alone, frankly this amendment would not do that; you would need another amendment for that. Accepting this amendment would stop the very thing that we are all agreed might be desirable—UK-wide systems. But if you want to stop separate systems from England being set up in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, that requires a completely different amendment. The Bill is sufficiently flexible to allow the administrations in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, in their various ways, to put in place mechanisms for doing something for them alone. It would be almost impossible to impose this on Northern Ireland because it has to deal with the Republic of Ireland; there is no question about that. In the interests of less complexity and not putting burdens on business, it would be in the interests of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland to be part of a UK setup. The Bill allows for flexibility should there be an occasion where a policy area could be dealt with another way. I oppose the amendment because it simply stops UK-wide trading schemes in areas where the policy issue is devolved. That is my starting point and, on that alone, it is the end of the discussion. If it is desired to do what was said in the opening speech, that is for another amendment, not this one.