Climate Change Bill [HL]

As the noble Lord has just explained, this amendment suggests removing the part of the sub-paragraph ensuring that the position of those who might be ““unduly disadvantaged”” by a waste reduction scheme should be considered carefully when designing the scheme. I understand that this is a probing amendment, and I hope that I can answer the noble Lord’s probing. This is an important protection, enabling authorities to make an independent assessment of their proposals. The existing sub-paragraph requires local authorities to look at how their pilot waste reduction scheme might impact on different groups. The authority would then decide whether special measures should be put in place to protect those who potentially face an undue disadvantage. That is a sensible public protection. A thorough assessment of impacts is also part of good policymaking and delivery on the ground. For instance, some groups have little or no ability to reduce their residual—that is, non-recycled—waste. We will be working with authorities to consult on and produce guidance on the types of groups authorities may wish to consider; for example, young families, low-income groups and the disabled. Guidance will also cover ways in which local authorities may wish to take account of disadvantaged groups, as special provisions to counteract undue disadvantage are a common feature of many successful schemes in Europe and North America, as the noble Lord knows. Provisions often take the form of extra sacks, or allowances, or lower bin costs, or exempting groups from the scheme altogether. Ultimately, though it will be up to local authorities to decide how they want to go about that, according to local circumstances and priorities. However, as part of the designation process, we will want to carefully assess their proposals to run those pilot schemes. We believe that the sub-paragraph as it stands effectively secures both public protection and local flexibility. On that basis and to ensure proper balance, I hope that the noble Lord will consider withdrawing his probing amendment.