I had not intended to say much, but the concerted attack on the Scottish Government by both Front Benches encouraged me to rise to oppose Lords amendment 54.
The purpose of the amendment, as the Minister briefly told us, is to close the renewables obligation throughout Great Britain. That is important, because until now the Scottish Government have been able to
operate it distinctly from the renewables obligation in England and Wales, and have indeed used it in some different ways.
The closure of the renewables obligation and, in particular, the time scale were debated at some length in Committee, and I do not intend to repeat all that was said at that stage. However, the Minister said that the Scottish Government had full knowledge of the date when the Government intended to close the renewables obligation. I am sure that that is true, but the Government did not have the power to force the closure in Scotland, because it was a power that lay with the Scottish Government. Now the Government have introduced an amendment in the other place—in an unelected Chamber—to change the law and remove a power from the Scottish Parliament.
Successive Scottish Governments have used their devolved powers to advance renewables generation across Scotland, and the removal of that discretion has caused concern, particularly as there has been no prior consultation with the Scottish Government about its removal or about the introduction of this provision, especially at a time when the Scottish Government are conducting a live consultation on the closure of the renewables obligation. The Scottish Government have also used the renewables obligation to provide greater support for hydro schemes and higher renewables obligation certificate bands for floating offshore wind turbines.
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I recognise that the Secretary of State has today published more details of the contract for difference strike prices, which include greater support for hydro and increased strike prices for offshore wind. That is welcome, but it is unclear whether there will be increased support for floating offshore wind in particular. Will the Minister clarify that point? I also note that the Minister has proposed a consultation on the renewables obligation grace periods, but it seems to propose only limited grace periods. This is particularly important in the Scottish context in relation to floating wind turbines. They are important in the Scottish sector because they operate in much deeper waters than the traditional offshore turbines that are fixed to the sea bed. There is a strong possibility that it will be necessary do this differently in regard to the RO grace periods, but all those powers have been taken away.
It is striking that when the matter was previously discussed, this Government said that no new law was needed to close the renewables obligation. Suddenly, however, when the Bill got to the House of Lords, it was decided that it was necessary. Call me a cynic, but it seems to me that the Government, having found out that they could not implement this measure because the power already lay with the Scottish Government, have slipped this provision in through the other place. That is unacceptable. They are taking away a power that the Scottish Parliament and Government had, and they are doing it by the back door. We had not even discussed it in this House; it has been proposed in the other place. I oppose Lords amendment 54, and given the chance, I would like to press it to a vote.