UK Parliament / Open data

Energy Bill

My Lords, I start by saying that what my noble friend has said in response to the amendments about parliamentary scrutiny will be very welcome indeed. The noble Lord, Lord Grantchester, is nodding vigorously in agreement, so I am delighted with that.

I tended to examine this from the point of view of the people whose investment is being sought. This is right at the heart of the Bill. Others, perfectly properly, have concentrated on the Delegated Powers and Regulatory Reform Committee, and my noble friend Lord Crickhowell spoke on the constitutional implications of the proposals. Of course, everyone will now want to study carefully what my noble friend has said, and some comfort may be found in that. We hear that it will be only consequential amendments. We will need to wait and see. I come back to the same point that we have made again and again: by Report we must know what is to be in the regulations.

I hope that my noble friend will take very seriously what my noble friend Lord Crickhowell said. If we get to the Floor of the House and find ourselves still having to make this kind of speech, the Minister will find herself in considerable difficulty. That is the last thing I want to see. I hope that her officials will take note. It may affect the date that we deal with it in October; we do not have any dates yet for Report. Getting the detail clear to everybody before we start debating clauses and amendments on Report is of the highest importance. I make no apology at all for having raised this matter at this stage. It is a hugely important issue and I know that my noble friend has taken it on board. It may be that some of her officials will have to cut short their holidays—poor them. I am sorry for that, but we are dealing with what appears to a lot of people to be legislation being made up as it goes along. That is hugely damaging from the point of view of any department which launched into this without knowing what would come out at the other end. When we come to final parliamentary scrutiny of the Bill, which will be at Report and Third Reading in this House, we really need to know what we will be talking about. With that admonition, if it may be so described, I am happy to withdraw the objection and agree that the clauses should stand part of the Bill.

About this proceeding contribution

Reference

747 c447GC 

Session

2013-14

Chamber / Committee

House of Lords Grand Committee
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