Climate Change Bill [HL]

moved Amendment No. 157: 157: Clause 28, page 15, line 13, leave out from ““on”” to end of line 15 and insert ““— (a) the progress that has been made towards meeting the carbon budgets that have been set under Part 1 and the target in section 1 (the target for 2050), (b) the further progress that is needed to meet those budgets and that target, and (c) whether those budgets and that target are likely to be met.”” The noble Baroness said: My Lords, we have already discussed similar issues in relation to Amendments Nos. 142 and 159. As I said then, Amendments Nos. 157 and 171 provide the reassurances sought here. They also address the concerns behind Amendments Nos. 160 and 163, which we will discuss next. I am also mindful of our discussion of Amendment No. 22, which was proposed by the noble Earl, Lord Caithness, and the noble Lord, Lord Crickhowell, for a compliance mechanism to be included in the Bill. At the time we explained why we believed that government Amendment No. 81 would work better. Part of the reason for this is that the Bill’s other provisions for annual accountability, with the addition of government Amendments Nos. 157 and 171, remove the need for yet another layer of annual processes as proposed in Amendment No. 22. It may be helpful if I can briefly recap on the Bill’s relevant provisions as context for the amendments in this group and in further illustration of why we do not think that Amendment No. 21 is needed. Before I explain the approach we have taken in government Amendments Nos. 157 and 171, it would be useful to get this on the record at this stage. For each budget period the Secretary of State must publish proposals and policies for meeting each budget. Government amendments now agreed by this House also require the Secretary of State to publish an indicative annual statement setting out the progress expected in each year of the budgetary period, together with the timescales over which policies are expected to take effect. There will be maximum transparency about the progress expected, both on policies and on our emission reduction trajectory, throughout the budgetary period. I honestly do not see what further information could be provided on this. That is looking forward. Clause 12 requires the Government to publish, for every year of the budget period, a detailed emissions statement. This will set out the facts on how much progress is being made. Every year the Committee on Climate Change will lay a progress report before Parliament under Clause 28 which will give the committee’s views on the progress being made towards meeting the budgets and the 2050 target, and then the Government must respond under Clause 29. So if there are any concerns about progress during the budget period, there are already extremely strong mechanisms to make sure that they are identified at an early stage and reported quickly and transparently to the public and to Parliament. I turn to government Amendments Nos. 157 and 171. Amendment No. 157 adds further specifications to what must be included in the committee’s annual report under Clause 28. If the amendment is agreed to, the report must refer to progress made so far towards meeting the targets and budgets, to progress that remains to be made and whether, in the committee’s view, the targets and budgets are likely to be met. In making this assessment the committee will of course be able to use the information provided in the Government’s plan for meeting budgets and the timescale for expected progress. Amendment No. 157 builds on this by requiring that the Government’s annual response to the committee’s progress report under Clause 29 would be specifically required to respond to the points made by the committee. That is very important from the noble Lord’s point of view. This will ensure that Parliament is better able to hold the Government to account for progress. Therefore, if the Government are off-track in any particular year towards meeting the overall budget, it will be quite clear from both the emissions figures and the committee’s assessment, and the Government’s response to the committee’s assessment will need to be comprehensive. Government Amendments Nos. 157 and 171 substantially strengthen this part of the Bill. An additional requirement to publish a preliminary action plan, as proposed in Amendment No. 22, would be an unnecessary duplication of the Bill’s existing provisions, particularly with the addition of these government amendments. I beg to move.