Climate Change Bill [HL]

I thank the Minister for covering my own Amendment No. 183A as well. We clearly welcome the Government adding flesh to the bones of adaptation and commenting on the various public bodies and everyone else involved in a very complicated network. A mishmash of organisations, authorities, devolution and many other different dimensions make this task rather difficult in many ways. That is another area that we shall consider under a future amendment. I do not think that there is the clash that the Government and the Minister suggest. We feel very strongly that certain organisations need to have a duty laid on them. Adaptation is an increasingly vital issue, as we have seen in the United Kingdom in recent years. It is right that certain bodies should have duties and the Civil Contingencies Act 2004 states very well those that should have such duties. I agree absolutely with the Minister that his amendment would cover a broader range of organisations where there need not be a duty as such but a more discretionary approach at the call of the Secretary of State. We very much believe that this part of the Bill must be strengthened. It is serious enough that certain key bodies should have a duty even though that it still quite wide. Beyond that, we also recognise that a whole population of other organisations covered by the government amendments need to be brought into the Bill. Amendment No. 183A is a core and essential part of the Bill.