Joan Ruddock (Minister of State, Department for Energy and Climate Change; Lewisham, Deptford, Labour)

I beg to move amendment 8, in clause 7, page 4, line 3, at end insert—

‘( ) This Act comes into force at the end of 2 months beginning with the day on which it is passed.’.

Anne Begg (Aberdeen South, Labour)

With this it will be convenient to discuss Government amendment 9, in clause 7, page 4, line 4, after ‘England’ insert ‘and Wales’.

Joan Ruddock (Minister of State, Department for Energy and Climate Change; Lewisham, Deptford, Labour)

Clause 7 sets out the extent of the Bill and is, therefore, very important.

Amendment 9 is technical, to correct the extent of the Bill. This is because—hon. Members may find this as surprising as I did—there is no legal jurisdiction called England. Members will be aware that clauses in relation to the microgeneration strategy and permitted development all apply to England only. The consequences are that we must make the technical amendment, but there is no doubt that in terms of the effect of the Bill, it gives us a microgeneration strategy and permitted development only in England.

We have dealt with amendment 8, bringing the provisions of the Act into force two months after Royal Assent.

Peter Ainsworth (East Surrey, Conservative)

It certainly came as a surprise to discover that there was no legal entity called England. In consequence of this discovery, I need to correct something I said on Second Reading, when I took the House of Commons Library to task. In its very helpful document about the Bill, it said—I thought erroneously—that the provisions applied to England and Wales. I went out of my way to calm people, as I know how interested in legislation people in Wales can get if they think that it affects them, so I am afraid that I erroneously corrected the House of Commons Library. It does, indeed, apply to England and Wales; except, of course, that it does not.