Clause 1 - Target years
Waste and Emissions Trading Bill [Lords]
8:55 am
Mr John Hayes (South Holland and The Deepings, Conservative)
True. However, as the hon. Gentleman has a detailed knowledge of such matters, he will know that trading schemes operate in different ways in different places and he will be familiar with the American model. Investigations have been made into trading schemes, and there have been proposals to allow for varying degrees of flexibility. Suggestions have been made by Labour Members concerning the flexibility of the trading scheme and the way in which targets would be met—he might even have spoken on the matter. It would be wrong to suggest that we are in a straitjacket. It is important that we know that we have targets to meet, and understand the cost of not
meeting them: the potential fines are some £150 million, which is not small beer.
There is a nobler objective. This is not simply about meeting targets or about the fear of fines; it is about a determination to have an integrated waste strategy that is sufficiently flexible for us to be able to implement it. It is no use aiming at targets that we cannot meet or pretending that we shall achieve things that cannot be achieved. We do need an ambitious plan, a strategy and a vision, but we also need to be flexible about how we meet the targets and realise the vision.
The object of the amendment is to probe the Minister as to how he sees the Government's obligations. I hope that the apparently minor semantic difference between ''may'' and ''must'' does that. I shall be interested to hear what the Minister says and, in setting the tone for the debate, I might say that there is no lack of determination on this side of the Committee to do things that are sensible, wise and strategic in order to implement a waste management plan. However, we will accept only targets and objectives that can reasonably be met.