Climate Change Bill [HL]

My Lords, that question shows the misunderstanding of the amendment. It is about measurement. If we started an emissions trading scheme that applied to UK aviation only, I would back the noble Lord in rejecting it. As he said, all the Bill does is provide a mechanism. That mechanism is measurement; the Bill does not include any element of policy or implementation of policy. Measuring these emissions has zero effect on what happens, as in every other sector of the economy. Measuring is followed by government policy. It is clear that we might as well include it now as later. The mechanism for measurement will be no more straightforward or easy in the future than it is now. The EU is not going to provide us with a method of calculating UK international aviation emissions. It does not do that. International aviation emissions are separately treated outside member states in the post-2012 regime put forward by the Commission and endorsed by the Council of Ministers. Aviation is important. Let us get on with it now. I regret that the noble Lord, Lord Taylor, cannot follow our approach. He made strong speeches at Second Reading, but I understand that he wants to approach this matter in a different way. I think this is fundamental to the Bill; otherwise we leave out a sector that needs to be in from the beginning. I recognise that the Government had the sector in the Bill from the beginning but that it would come in at a later date; do not believe that is good enough. I believe we need to act now. Therefore, I wish to test the opinion of the House. On Question, Whether the said amendment (No. 64) shall be agreed to? Their Lordships divided: Contents, 52; Not-Contents, 169.