Vol. 721 Monday No. 53 25 October 2010 PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES (HANSARD) HOUSE OF LORDS OFFICIAL REPORT ORDER OF BUSINESS Questions Climate Change: IPCC Leadership Charities: War Zones Iraq: Camp Ashraf Housing: Shared Ownership Terrorist Asset-Freezing etc. Bill [HL] Report Statement of Changes in Immigration Rules (Cm 7944) Motion to Disapprove Statements of Changes in Immigration Rules (HC 59 and HC 96) Motion of Regret Written Statements Written Answers For column numbers see back page £3·50 Lords wishing to be supplied with these Daily Reports should give notice to this effect to the Printed Paper Office. The bound volumes also will be sent to those Peers who similarly notify their wish to receive them. No proofs of Daily Reports are provided. 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THE INDEX to each Bound Volume of House of Commons Debates is published separately at £9·00 and can be supplied to standing order. WEEKLY INFORMATION BULLETIN, compiled by the House of Commons, gives details of past and forthcoming business, the work of Committees and general information on legislation, etc. Single copies: £1·50. Annual subscription: £53·50. All prices are inclusive of postage. © Parliamentary Copyright House of Lords 2010, this publication may be reproduced under the terms of the Parliamentary Click-Use Licence, available online through the Office of Public Sector Information website at www.opsi.gov.uk/click-use/ 1025 Climate Change: IPCC Leadership[25 OCTOBER 2010] Climate Change: IPCC Leadership 1026 Lord Soley: Does the Minister accept that, although House of Lords the science on climate change is incredibly complex, all of it points in the direction of climate change being Monday, 25 October 2010. profoundly dangerous? Therefore, is it not right that, even though an organisation such as the climate change 2.30 pm body to which he refers may make mistakes from time to time, it is critically important that, although we Prayers—read by the Lord Bishop of Wakefield. might examine those mistakes, we do not lose sight of the overall need to stop the pollution in which we are engaged at the moment? Climate Change: IPCC Leadership Question Lord Marland: My response can be very short this time: I completely agree with the noble Lord, who is 2.37 pm right. The Stern review showed that we have got to invest now to stop climate change in the future. I do Asked By Baroness Noakes not disagree with one word that he has said. To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they support the leadership of the Intergovernmental Lord St John of Bletso: My Lords, does the Minister Panel on Climate Change. agree that, apart from the necessity of agreeing a road map for the avoidance of deforestation, it is also The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, vitally important that the IPCC addresses the issue of Department of Energy and Climate Change (Lord education on environmental matters and the promotion Marland): My Lords, yes. The Intergovernmental Panel of green professionals? on Climate Change is the primary authority on the science of climate change and the Government retain Lord Marland: Again, I totally agree. We have to confidence in its leadership. We welcome the agreement show leadership on the subject of climate change. As reached by the IPCC to take forward some key we said in the discussion on deforestation the other recommendations of the recent independent review day, we have committed £300 million towards that out into its procedures, communications and management. of the £1.5 billion that has been ring-fenced. It is encouraging that there is cross-party agreement on Baroness Noakes: My Lords, I thank my noble that endeavour, and that should be continued. friend for that reply. He will be aware that the recent report by the InterAcademy Council laid bare the Lord Pearson of Rannoch: My Lords, the Minister faulty processes in the IPCC which led, inter alia, to says that Dr Pachauri is working for free, but has he the ridiculous assertion about the melting of the read Christopher Booker’s column in the Sunday Himalayan glacier. One clear recommendation was Telegraph? It suggests that Dr Pachauri has some side that the IPCC chairman should not serve for more activities that might be worthy of the Government’s than one term—that is to say, that the current incumbent attention. should already have gone. Why have the Government reached the position in which they appear not to support that? What representations, if any, did the Lord Marland: I have known Christopher Booker Government make at the recent IPCC meeting to that for a long time, but I am afraid that I do not agree with effect? a lot of things he has to say. Doubtless, the noble Lord agrees with every word—it is probably a biblical thing. Lord Marland: Let me point this out to the noble Baroness and let us look at the facts: this organisation Baroness Smith of Basildon: My Lords, while clearly won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2007, and that should lessons are to be learnt from any errors in the assessment be commended. Like many organisations it will have report, that does not alter the fact that there is growing pains, management and communications issues, overwhelming scientific evidence of significant man-made but it has 194 countries subscribing to it and we climate change and action must be taken. Does the cannot just wave a magic wand and change things. An Minister agree with the professor of physics and independent review of its activities was carried out—I oceanography, Stefan Rahmstorf, that one of the great am grateful to Sir Peter Williams, the treasurer of the strengths of the IPCC is that it tends to be conservative Royal Society, for being on the review committee—which and cautious and does not overstate any climate change found that the management structure was weak and risk? Indeed, it has since been proved by the July 2001 that communications were not adequate. However, the study that projections in temperature and sea level review found that the information the IPCC provides have risen higher than the top of the range predicted is highly relevant. Frankly, it is not for this Government by the IPCC. to decide how the organisation should be run. Dr Pachauri, the chairman, has accepted the Lord Marland: I thank the noble Baroness for pointing recommendations and is going to implement them. He that out. Again, the role that the Labour Government has an excellent relationship with emerging markets, played in sorting out the problems that the IPCC had which is very important, and he is an eminent Yale got into is to be commended. I totally endorse what professor who is working for free. the noble Baroness said. 1027 Climate Change: IPCC Leadership[LORDS] Charities: War Zones 1028 Baroness Parminter: My Lords— Lord James of Blackheath: My Lords, I thank the Minister for that reply. Does he share my concern that this somewhat difficult Act contains within it a form Lord Hannay of Chiswick: My Lords— of Catch-22, whereby any attempt to try to increase accountability might have a knock-on effect on charities The Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster (Lord to the extent that they cannot afford the risk of sending Strathclyde): My Lords, let us hear next from the abroad the people to administer the money that they noble Baroness, Lady Parminter. raise, which would have very serious effects to the detriment of British charitable support? Can we find a way round that problem of increased accountability? Baroness Parminter: My Lords, should not the most important leadership on climate change be from the United States and China? Will my noble friend inform Lord McNally: My Lords, I read the report of the the House what the Government are doing to persuade Committee on that Bill of 5 February 2007, when my those two giants of carbon emissions to exercise that noble friend raised a similar doubt, and the noble and leadership at Cancún later this year? learned Lord, Lord Goldsmith, gave him reassurances on this matter. I do not think that we can go beyond Lord Marland: I thank my noble friend for her those reassurances, as we do not believe that the Act second question in this House. Both of them have has the adverse effect on charities that he feared then been excellent on this particular subject. The fact is and evidently still fears. that we have to show leadership. I am glad to say that the Prime Minister will visit China next month. He will lead a UK-China summit on low carbon development, Lord Phillips of Sudbury: My Lords, does my noble which will be a central pillar of the visit.