Climate change policy
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Lord Pearson of Rannoch: My Lords, have the Government any reason to disagree with the respected think tank Open Europe's estimate that the EU climate change policy will put at least 1 million British people into fuel poverty? Do they have any reason to disagree with Mr Derek Birkett, a former grid controller, as reported in yesterday's Daily Express, who has estimated that the calamity about to be visited upon the British people through the climate change policy of the European Union-the science for which has completely collapsed-will amount to at least the cost of the banking crisis?
Lord Henley: My Lords, this is not just about climate change. It is also about human health, which is why it is important that we see a reduction in the particular gases that we talked about earlier-nitrogen oxides and sulphur dioxides-and, for that matter, dust emissions. On his further point about how many people are allegedly going to be put out of work, if we had not secured the changes to the industrial emissions directive, we would have seen an increase in electricity prices of some 8 per cent. As a result of the changes that we have secured, which I talked about earlier and which go up to 2023, those rises will be only about 3 per cent. I do not think that that is bad, and I do not think that it will lead to any loss of jobs.
Lord Tomlinson: Will the Minister undertake to give us a health warning if ever the Government were tempted to formulate their European policy on the basis of the opinions of Open Europe and the Daily Express?
Lord Henley: My Lords, I will give that assurance to the noble Lord if he so wishes.
Lord Pearson of Rannoch: My Lords-
Lord Pearson of Rannoch: My Lords, I did not say unemployed; I said fuel poverty. One million people will be put into fuel poverty.
Lord Henley: My Lords, I believe I answered that question by making it quite clear that electricity prices are not