Clause 61
Climate Change Bill [Lords]
4:00 pm
Joan Ruddock (Parliamentary Under-Secretary, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs; Lewisham, Deptford, Labour)
I hope that I can satisfy the hon. Lady by giving her a very direct answer: yes, the directions will be legally enforceable. It may be helpful to the Committee if I say that the clause means that a reporting authority that has been given directions to produce a report by the Secretary of State is under a duty to comply with those directions.
Furthermore, the clause requires that reporting authorities must have regard, as far as is relevant, to the Government’s reports under clause 55, which deals with the national climate change assessment, and under clause 56, which deals with the UK adaptation programme. That will ensure that reporting authorities factor in the latest information about climate impacts in the UK and take into consideration Government priorities and policies on adaptation. I hope that the hon. Lady is satisfied with the clause.