Climate Change Bill [HL]

My Lords, I apologise that I was slow in getting up and failed to do so before the Minister rose. I wanted to say the same thing. Although I agree that this is a closer case, we believe that, at the end of the day, the Secretary of State has to make the executive and political decision as to whether to accept a recommendation, however strong that recommendation should and must be from the Committee on Climate Change. It may concern a finer point, but the decision still needs to be taken by an elected body. Comparisons were made earlier with the Monetary Policy Committee and decisions on interest rates. The point on that, which I do not think quite came out, is that the decisions about interest rates, however much they affect the rest of the economy, are tactical ones and relatively short term. All decisions to do with this Bill are strategic decisions that affect the whole of the economy. That is why they need to be political decisions, not ones taken by the committee.