Climate Change Bill [HL]

I do not want to delay the Committee at a time when the Captain of the Gentlemen at Arms is beginning to look distinctly restless, as I daresay others are. The Minister’s answer became increasingly helpful and constructive as he went on. He started by saying that he did not think that we had understood the practical significance of the clause. Of course I understand the point about precluding UK-wide trading schemes. The difficulty is that up until now we have had very little explanation from the Government. The Minister has probably given more explanation than has been given before as to what these trading schemes are likely to be. Again, I look at the work of the Joint Committee. We probed and could not get much out of the Government at that stage. There was mention of a possible carbon reduction commitment scheme, an energy efficiency scheme, and that was about all. The Minister must not be surprised if we probe the intentions of what is potentially a very wide scheme when we have had practically no explanation of what might emerge as proposals. We seek to discover a little more of what is in the mind of the Government. As he went on, the Minister, who sounded—uncharacteristically—a tiny bit irritated at the start of proceedings, became more helpful and constructive. If it is possible for rather more thinking to be put on the table about the potential use of the main clause, the Minister might have rather less difficulty with any suggested amendments that might come forward at the next stage.