| Allan Wilson:
I welcome the
Conservatives' support for the bill. They have obviously placed their commitment
to environmental protection above the nationalists' constitutional navel
gazing. We welcome that, just as we welcome the support of our coalition
colleagues in the Liberal Democrat party.
As ever, Bruce
Crawford is simply wrong on many aspects of the matter. Participation in
the UK emissions trading scheme is a voluntary, cost-effective way of achieving
emissions reduction commitments that conform with our climate change programme
and that make a valuable contribution in global terms to our national climate
change strategy.
Bruce Crawford:
rose—
Allan Wilson:
Bruce Crawford has had his chance. I will deal with the points that he
raised and move on.
The UK scheme
offers invaluable early experience of trading in advance of an EU scheme,
which we expect will be introduced in 2005. That is an important provision.
On the allegation
that we are giving up powers, nothing could be further from the truth.
In fact, powers for UK ministers to apportion international and EU targets
are in section 106 of the Scotland Act 1998. The orders made under those
powers are called splitting orders. All that is happening is that a power
equivalent to those splitting powers would be created under the bill. That
power would be used following statutory consultation. In that context,
Mr Crawford is wrong.
As Bristow Muldoon
pointed out, the 25 per cent target for recycling and composting in 2006
is a key Executive interim objective for waste. There is no inconsistency
between that and the landfill directive targets, or with the measures that
we are discussing today. The first landfill directive target for the UK
is for 2010. I expect the national waste plan to aim for recycling and
composting around 40 per cent of waste by then. That is why, as a step
towards that goal, we are setting the intermediate target of 25 per cent
by 2006.
The bill would
provide instruments that the Scottish ministers—who are accountable to
the Scottish Parliament—may use to pursue Scottish policy goals. Where
the bill would place obligations on the Scottish ministers, we would have
to take them on under the European directive.
Nora Radcliffe
spoke about the landfill tax credit scheme. I am sure that she will join
me in welcoming the announcement made yesterday by the Chancellor of the
Exchequer on the reform of that scheme. One third of the allocations made
under the scheme will support local environment projects; two thirds will
support a public spending scheme for waste management. That is very good
news for Scotland.
I have much
pleasure in again commending the motion.
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