State of Climate and Nature

Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick Excerpts

Tuesday 14th July 2026 Lords Chamber

[Lord Whitehead (Lab)]

Among other things, the actions that the Government have taken—for example, with the Energising Britain plan—are making sure that the question of climate change is not just an issue for one or two areas of government but one that all areas of government have to contribute to. Those different departments will be judged very substantially on their contributions. As this Government have shown already, there is a real sense of joint working, for example in how the National Health Service and the Ministry of Defence are decarbonising and in how various departments are working together to make sure that that overall goal is achieved. I cannot say that I could guarantee a large attendance at seminars that the noble Baroness might put on for that purpose, but she is very welcome to do so. I would certainly come along to a seminar if she wanted to set one up. The point underlining what she says is that nature is essential to the whole process. As I have said, if we neglect one element against the other in our climate change actions, we will not succeed in either.

[Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick (Lab)]

My Lords, I congratulate my noble friend the Minister on the very welcome Statement on how the Government will deal with the interlinked issues of climate change and nature, because there is no doubt that both are interlinked and one drives the other. We have already seen examples of nature loss in our wider countryside. Reference has been made to reports issued quite recently that more than 2,700 people may have died in the May and June heatwaves this year. What further steps will our Government take to adapt UK buildings to the impact of climate change, including energy efficiency measures through the use of sustainable timber and modular buildings?

[Lord Whitehead (Lab)]

My noble friend is absolutely right to draw attention to what is sadly likely to be a large number of deaths directly attributable to the recent heatwave we have had in this country. Those deaths can quite possibly be attributed to the lack of readiness that we have in our building fabric and our homes for the consequences of climate change and what will happen with temperatures in future. I hope she can take some comfort from the fact that the Government are actively reviewing how we make sure that building standards are fully compliant with climate change resilience for the future. If we build our buildings so that they can undertake those future climate shocks rather than be victims of them, we will have done a good deed for the future.

Artificial Intelligence: Vaccine Technology

Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick Excerpts

Thursday 9th July 2026 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick (Lab)]

My Lords, as a member of the specialist committee in your Lordships’ House on childhood vaccinations, I ask my noble friend the Minister what interaction there is between the Department of Health and DSIT to give people greater accessibility to vaccinations. There has been a downturn in availability for people to access those vaccines.

[Lord Vallance of Balham (Lab)]

I thank my noble friend for the question. That is largely a DHSC responsibility. DSIT makes sure that there is a real pipeline of new vaccines coming through, that the environment is right for companies to form and grow in this country and that we are at the forefront of a new generation of vaccines, as we now are. Of course, we then need to make sure that those are available and accessible, and that is continuing work by the UK Health Security Agency and the DHSC.

UK Energy Sources and Cost of Energy

Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick Excerpts

Thursday 19th March 2026 Lords Chamber

[Lord Whitehead (Lab)]

The first issue is, as the noble Baroness suggests, the efficient use of energy by more intelligent means and planning how that energy is deployed on a highly intelligent basis. That is activity that the Government are advanced on as far as the management of our energy system is concerned. The second point is, as the noble Baroness mentions, the energy security from energy that is not used. The Warm Homes Plan that the Government have recently introduced—a multi-billion programme over a number of years to increase the energy efficiency and resilience of people’s homes, particularly those in fuel poverty—will produce not only a win for fuel poverty but a substantial win for the efficiency with which energy is used and the amount of energy that is used in the domestic sphere.

[Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick (Lab)]

My Lords—

[Lord Fuller (Con)]

My Lords—

Energy Markets

Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick Excerpts

Monday 9th March 2026 Lords Chamber

[Lord Whitehead (Lab)]

I agree with the noble Lord that Putin may well be smiling a little at the prospect of sky-high energy prices benefiting his beleaguered economy, and that some of the sanctions may be taken off him because people would rather like some of his oil and gas for the future. It is doubly important, therefore, that we keep those sanctions in place, that we sanction the shadow fleet, and that we make sure that the oil from Russia does not get out, by hook or by crook, into various places where it should not go. The UK Government are determined to keep that process under way. It is very important that Putin is not the unwitting beneficiary of this.

[Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick (Lab)]

My Lords, I congratulate my noble friend the Minister on the Statement that has been made. In supporting the Government’s policy on alternative renewables, I ask that particular attention is given to Northern Ireland, where two-thirds of the population is reliant on fossil fuels, particularly oil, for central heating. I declare an interest in that, along with many other people. Will the Minister, along with his colleagues in the Northern Ireland Office, discuss ways to mitigate the impact on consumers in Northern Ireland, who will face high electricity bills due to the current global market conditions as a result of the war in Iran?

[Lord Whitehead (Lab)]

My noble friend is right that, quite uniquely within the UK, Northern Ireland has a preponderance of oil used for heating, as opposed to the relatively small percentage in England, Wales and Scotland. It is particularly important that we get a grip on heating oil and kerosene in general at an early stage in this process. That is why the Government have undertaken the initiative today to make sure that the industry is very clear about how it manages the price of heating oil for the future and does not engage in price gouging as a result of this particular energy crisis. But prices in general will probably be subject to the duration of this war. Part of the process has to be to make sure that this war comes to an end as soon as it can, that supplies are secured, and that confidence is restored in the fact that energy can pass reasonably unhindered from the site of the war to its destinations. The UK Government are very involved in doing that.

Warm Homes Plan

Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick Excerpts

Tuesday 27th January 2026 Lords Chamber

[Lord Whitehead (Lab)]

I thank the noble Lord for his question. It might be helpful if I go into a brief disquisition on perovskite and its qualities, to inform the House about the noble Lord’s question.

Perovskite is, quite simply, a wonder product in terms of solar development. It is a mineral, but largely made synthetically, and manages to trap a wider spectrum of the sun’s rays than traditional silica does. So-called tandem panels which have a silica panel underneath and a perovskite film on top have an increased efficiency of 20% to 30%—which is a fantastic addition. With solar on a field basis, far more power can be got out of a smaller series of solar arrays. As far as home solar is concerned, an enormous boost can be achieved—perhaps half the power used can be got from the roof, with the same amount of solar panels than would have been put on previously. It is a very exciting development.

Oxford PV is the company spin-out from Oxford University, which is engaging in the development and commercialisation of those tandem panels. There is also a pilot production line under way in Germany.

The Government have been very supportive of Oxford PV in its journey. There was an original grant for Oxford PV of, I think, £668,000 in 2014 and there have been grants from UKRI subsequently. Oxford PV is presently in some discussions with the Department for Business and Trade, as this is something that we very much look forward to developing for the great advantage of the solar world generally. I assure the noble Lord that the Government are active in this pursuit, with the prizes that it can bring.

[Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick (Lab)]

My Lords, I thank my noble friend the Minister for his very extensive Statement on the warm homes plan today. Does he agree that heat pumps are most effective when paired with insulation? Could he say a little more about what the Government will do to increase insulation in existing homes now that the ECO scheme is ending? If the future homes standard is going to be published and implemented, when will that take place? Bearing in mind all the floods that we have seen over the last number of weeks and days, what further climate change adaptation measures will be considered? Maybe the Minister would write to me on that final issue.

[Lord Whitehead (Lab)]

I thank the noble Baroness for that contribution. The question of heat pumps and insulation is very clear: heat pumps do not work as well as they should if a property is poorly insulated, so increasing insulation hand in hand with heat pump installation is a very wise thing to do. However, among other things, the warm homes plan tries to take a measured view of where fabric improvements are perhaps necessary and needed, and where other forms of enhanced energy considerations could take their place. There are properties that are very difficult to insulate to the right standards but, with solar, batteries, heat pumps and such things, they can come up to the sort of standard you require. So this warm homes plan is a little more careful about the combination of various factors. Elements of the plan will involve fabric—probably about 700,000 homes will continue to get fabric uprating—but other factors will be coming into being.

I will be happy to write to the noble Baroness about the future homes plan and how that will work out. It is under way at the moment and will, among other things, ensure that new homes, when built, will be of a sufficient standard that they will not need fabric uprating for the future, because it will be in the definition of those new homes. That is going to be produced shortly and I will certainly inform the noble Baroness about its progress as soon as I can.

Digital ID

Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick Excerpts

Tuesday 14th October 2025 Lords Chamber

[Lord Vallance of Balham (Lab)]

Let me just try to be clear about a point that I think is important. The required element of this is the bit to do with the right to work. The notion that this is available for all sorts of other things which people can choose to be part of or not is completely separate. The same structure will be used, but the only mandatory part is that, to have the ability and right to work, you will have to show this. The noble Baroness is quite right, of course, that there are lots of things that people want to use this for now. That is why work is going ahead already on the digital wallet and the ability to use those things. They are, of course, separate from a requirement to have this for the right to work.

[Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick (Lab)]

My Lords, further to the question posed by the noble Baroness, Lady Hoey, has careful consideration been given to the circumstances on the island of Ireland, where there is quite a lot of cross-border working, both from south to north and north to south? The Government should also be mindful of the Good Friday agreement. Many people, including me, see their identity as Irish and would not want a digital ID issued by the British Government. Can my noble friend the Minister tell the House what discussions have taken place with the Irish Government regarding this particular issue and the method of implementation? Have all those issues regarding identity and nationality been fully considered?

[Lord Vallance of Balham (Lab)]

We are, of course, fully committed to everything in the Good Friday agreement. My colleague, the Minister for Digital Government and Data, was in Northern Ireland just last week. He had meetings with the Deputy Speaker, Northern Ireland’s Community Minister and the Finance Minister. Engagement with the Irish Government is planned as well. This will be done in close collaboration, recognising exactly the point about the desire of people either to have or not to have something linked to this. Of course, Ireland is introducing its own digital ID scheme as part of the EU. We intend to stay very close on this and make sure we do this in partnership.

Product Regulation and Metrology Bill [HL]

Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick Excerpts

Committee stage
Wednesday 20th November 2024 Grand Committee

[Lord Jackson of Peterborough (Con)]

I thank noble Lords for their forbearance as I was rudely interrupted by democracy.

I was somewhat remiss earlier for not also congratulating my noble friend on his position as Front-Bench spokesman for our party, so I welcome him, and I hope he will forgive me for that.

As I was saying, I believe that the amendment tabled by my noble friend Lady Lawlor should receive the support of all sides of the Committee because it seeks to ensure that there is proper, informed parliamentary scrutiny and approval in respect of Clause 1, which is a very wide-ranging clause; other noble Lords will no doubt wish to enunciate those issues later on. As the clock is against us, I will just finish by observing that I wholly support Amendment 128 in this group, tabled by my noble friend Lord Frost, which I have signed, and Amendments 80 and 81 on metrology and pints, tabled by my noble friend Lord Sharpe.

I will just finish briefly on Amendments 40 and 41 tabled by my noble friend Lady Lawlor. Again, these go to the heart of the necessity to see the Bill, and particularly Clauses 1 and 2, within the broader context of a quite seismic shift of government policy. Indeed, the think tank UK in a Changing Europe, in its press release last week launching the latest quarter 3 regulatory divergence tracker, makes the quite bold claim, which I think is correct, that this Government are seeking a much closer relationship with the European Union by increased convergence and reducing any capacity for divergence, either deliberately or as a sin of omission. Whether you think that is right or not, that issue has to be looked at in detail by the legislature—both the other place and your Lordships’ House. On that basis, I support my noble friend Lady Lawlor’s amendment, which would insert “constitutional” into the Bill, because of the wider governance and constitutional issues arising from a Bill that some have described as Chequers 2.0 in legislative form—I know that some of my noble friends might not agree with that.

Finally, Amendment 41 would enable a review of the impact and effects of Clause 2 and the powers therein to be laid before Parliament, focusing specifically on how the decisions made by Ministers and the regulations laid have impacted business and commerce in this country and trade across the world, particularly with the European Union.

On that basis, I ask the Minister to look kindly on supporting those amendments. None of them is radical and none of them seeks to undermine the integral nature of what the Bill is hoping to achieve, but they are sensible additions that will hopefully improve the Bill in the course of its passage through this House and the other place.

[Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick (Lab)]

My Lords, I welcome this landmark Bill, and I welcome my noble friend the Minister and the noble Lord, Lord Sharpe, to their Front-Bench positions. I firmly believe that the Bill protects consumer rights. However, I declare an interest as a member of the Secondary Legislation Scrutiny Committee, which scrutinises statutory instruments. In that respect, I refer to the amendment in the names of my noble friend Lady Crawley, the noble Earl, Lord Lindsay, and the noble Lord, Lord Foster of Bath, which would require the Secretary of State to conduct appropriate consultation on draft regulations under the Act.

It is vital that we set out as we mean to go on. One criticism that our committee had of many of the statutory instruments is the lack of proper consultation, as well as inadequate memorandums and impact assessments. This amendment in the name of my noble friend Lady Crawley is timely, and I urge my noble friends on the Front Bench to accept it. More effective scrutiny processes are required in legislation to ensure that the policy decisions made with the powers set out in the Bill can be effectively scrutinised as products and marketplaces evolve, particularly those that will evolve online. It is important that consumers are totally protected.

The noble Lord, Lord Jackson, referred to relationships with the EU. I hope that the Government are successful in resetting that relationship and that there is a closer relationship with the EU, because it is important not only for trade but for society and economic growth—and it is good for wider relations in this part of our global world.

[Lord Frost (Con)]

I shall speak briefly to my Amendment 128. I begin, like others, by congratulating my noble friend Lord Sharpe on his role.

My amendment is only a small one, and it is overwhelmed by the pretty savage surgery proposed in other amendments tabled by other noble Lords—a surgery that is well merited, on the basis of what we have seen so far. I shall save my substantive remarks on my main concerns about the Bill until the fourth group, where most of my amendments lie. I share the concerns about constitutional and democratic process expressed by other noble Lords so far. I would probably not go so far as the noble Lord, Lord Anderson, in advocating a very complex, process-heavy and corporatist EU-type process for the Bill, because I believe that speed and simplicity in legislation are also advantageous —but certainly, if any of the Bill survives, we need some sort of serious scrutiny-sifting process to make it work.

My Amendment 128 is just one tiny part of this. It would ensure that, if Clause 2 survived at all, the powers under Clause 2(7) would be exercised—if they were exercised—under the affirmative procedure. That, however, is really a minor part, when we look at some of the other proposals on the table. Nevertheless, I hope that the Minister will reflect, and I look forward to hearing his thoughts.

King’s Speech

Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick Excerpts

Thursday 18th July 2024 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick (Lab)]

My Lords, it is a pleasure to follow the noble Lord, Lord Curry of Kirkharle. I congratulate the noble Lord, Lord Fuller, on his maiden speech.

The King’s Speech—the gracious Speech—heralds a welcome step change in our politics, with a range of policies and legislation to be implemented by the new Labour Government under Prime Minister Starmer and his ministerial team. I welcome our Front-Bench Ministers, my noble friends Lord Hunt of Kings Heath and Lady Hayman of Ullock. I look forward to working with and supporting them in a positive environment where politics is a lever for economic growth, supporting and improving the lives of communities throughout the UK.

It would be remiss of me if I failed to mention a particular Northern Ireland aspect, which I welcome, although it is not integral to today’s debate. My noble friend Lord Murphy of Torfaen was particularly involved in this with me. I welcome the procedures to be put in place to repeal the Northern Ireland legacy legislation. I welcome the fact that, after working in consultation with all parties, measures will be brought forward to begin the process of repealing and replacing the misnamed and totally inappropriate Northern Ireland Troubles (Legacy and Reconciliation) Act 2023.

Today I will concentrate on the environment. During the last few days, I reflected on our Labour manifesto for the 2024 election, which stated that Labour would give regulators the power to

“block the payment of bonuses”

to the executives of water companies that fail to prevent pollution. It also said that Labour would

“bring criminal charges against persistent law breakers”—

hence the very welcome water Bill, which is in the King’s Speech. I kept looking at Twitter—now called X—over the last few weeks, and I saw my fellow countryman, Feargal Sharkey, highlighting the pollution problems with all the rivers throughout the UK.

This manifesto, and therefore the King’s Speech, committed to expanding nature-rich habitats, such as wetlands, peat bogs and forests. It said that Labour would improve access to natural environments by developing new national river walks and national forests in England. This has a direct cross-cutting connection with health, growing our economy and developing our tourism industry, which includes economic spend.

In this respect, I look forward to that further development and the outworking of the planning and infrastructure Bill, which no doubt will deal with those issues. The briefing note to the gracious Speech says:

“Change will take time. The Government will outline further legislation to fundamentally transform our water industry and restore our rivers, lakes and seas to good health”.


What shape will that further legislation take? I would like it if my noble friend Lady Hayman of Ullock could elaborate on that.

Like Peers for the Planet and the noble Baroness, Lady Hayman, who spoke earlier, I firmly believe that this Parliament and this Government have the critical task of delivering the UK’s 2030 climate and nature targets and setting the course to 2050. Early policy decisions that drive emissions reduction will be needed alongside urgent action to adapt to physical climate risks and protect and restore our valuable natural landscape.

As a resident of and former public representative in Northern Ireland, I hope that the new Government can help to influence environmental policy there—although it is devolved. Perhaps the Minister could indicate when she intends to meet the relevant Minister in the Northern Ireland Executive to discuss joint plans for developing and conserving our whole environment in the UK, but also ensuring that our natural asset is central to the development of our economy and the health and well-being of all our citizens.

Our manifesto said that the UK faced a “nature crisis” accelerated by climate change and argued that the UK had become one of the most nature-depleted countries in the world. It committed to tackling pollution in rivers and seas—I think of one of the largest lakes in these islands, Lough Neagh in Northern Ireland, which is again polluted with algae this year. There needs to be a means of addressing that. Perhaps the Minister could talk to her equivalent in the Northern Ireland Executive so that there can be joint action on tackling these environmental problems.

Our manifesto also said that we would improve the ability of central and local government and emergency services to respond to natural emergencies and coastal erosion. Will that be done through future legislation? Many of us have witnessed the devastating effect of flooding on our communities, businesses, environment and farmland. What joint action with the devolved regions, including the Northern Ireland Executive, will take place to spearhead action and the recovery of our environment, and in turn enable economic growth and the well-being of all?

As the noble Baroness, Lady Hayman, referred to earlier, the Climate Change Committee produced its latest report only today for the attention of government, particularly on net zero, the economy and how we deal with climate change. I hope that there is in that report some food for thought for and assistance to our new Labour Government to help them address these issues. I welcome the actions outlined in the gracious Speech to deal with climate change, because the latest government analysis concludes that acting now to adapt to climate impacts could deliver significant amounts of money and up to £10 in net economic benefits for every £1 invested.

I welcome the emphasis in the gracious Speech on better management of our environment. It is worth noting that the Office for National Statistics estimates the financial and societal value of natural resources in the UK to be £1.8 trillion, and the Green Finance Institute has warned that the deterioration of the UK’s natural environment could lead to an estimated 6% to 12% loss to gross domestic product by the 2030s. Nature and the environment are vital to our economy, our health and well-being, and protection from extreme weather.

On a final point, I see that the territorial extent of the Great British Energy Bill applies to all of the UK. Northern Ireland and Ireland have a single electricity market, so how will this Bill fit into that electricity market, and what assurances can be given that it will not undermine the all-island electricity market in Ireland?

This gracious Speech contains the ingredients for successful conservation and development of our environment. Nature restoration, protection of our agricultural base and natural habitats, and the reduction in chemical pollution of our lands are all vital facets, and environment, health, well-being and economic growth are all interconnected. That is borne out by this Government, and I believe will lead to success for all our citizens.

Retained EU Law (Revocation and Reform) Bill

Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick Excerpts

Report stage
Monday 15th May 2023 Lords Chamber

Now that there is no sunsetting at the end of the Bill, we do not have a time constraint on gaining consent, so I hope the Government will not say that this will impose a time limit, because it would be possible to have a very fast turnaround through Minister-to-Minister communication for an individual SI that affects devolved law. In summary, I hope that the Government will accept Amendment 75. I do not necessarily expect that they will accept Amendment 39, but if they do not do anything in this area, it threatens the whole constitutional arrangement of the UK as it now stands.

[Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick (Lab)]

My Lords, I speak to Amendments 41 and 46 in my name. These amendments would ensure that a substantial policy change in human rights, equality and environmental protection in Northern Ireland may not be effected by the exercise of delegated powers. Given the ongoing lack of a functioning Executive and sitting Assembly, this raises serious concerns about the implementation of the Bill in Northern Ireland, and the amendments in my name would add a helpful safeguard in these challenging circumstances. Therefore, to be brief, I ask the Minister to give careful consideration to, and accept, the amendments as a means of ensuring that the devolution settlement in Northern Ireland is protected and that issues of equality and human rights and environmental considerations are all protected, as required under the Good Friday agreement.

[Baroness Humphreys (LD)]

My Lords, I shall speak briefly to amendments in this group tabled by the noble and learned Lord, Lord Hope of Craighead, to which I have added my name, and I thank him for introducing the amendments so clearly and comprehensively.

I am grateful to the noble Lord the Minister—or perhaps to the noble Baroness, Lady Neville-Rolfe—for the concessions the Government have brought to Report. The Bill is in a better state than when we first debated it at Second Reading, and many of the House’s concerns have been addressed, but there remain some significant issues pertaining to the Bill on which I hope that the Minister will look favourably.

The amendments deal with obtaining the consent of the devolved legislatures to the making of regulations that fall within their devolved competence, and equivalence of powers for Ministers where the provisions of regulations again fall within the devolved competence of the legislatures. It is clear that these amendments do not seek additional powers for the devolved legislatures; they merely secure those powers that the legislatures already have—powers devolved to them by this Parliament but which the Bill ignores or chooses to overlook.

One of my main concerns about the Bill in its original form was that it usurped the powers of this Parliament and those of the devolved legislatures, and this view was echoed across the House. In Committee, I was heartened to hear strong and powerful speeches from those on Benches across the House in support of the devolved Administrations and legislatures, and I thank those who spoke for their support.

The noble Baroness, Lady McIntosh of Pickering, reflected my view when she said—and I hope my précis of her comments does her justice—that she might not necessarily support a political party in power in a devolved legislature, but that her focus and support was on the legislature itself. I think that reflects the view of many in this House, and certainly those on these Benches.

In his letter to us, the Minister said that he had listened to the House and, in fairness, he has—to an extent. I hope he is still in listening mode and, as I said earlier, will be able to look favourably on these amendments.

Finally, as this will be my last contribution in debates on the Bill, I express my gratitude to the noble and learned Lord, Lord Hope of Craighead, for the part he has played in its progress and improvement. His leadership, knowledge of constitutional and devolved matters, forensic legal analysis of the Bill, and tenacity have made a massive contribution and have led us to where we are today. We have an improved Bill, and it can be improved further by the Minister accepting the noble and learned Lord’s amendments. In the event of him wishing to press any of them to a vote, he will have the support of these Benches.

Climate Change Committee: Discussions

Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick Excerpts

Thursday 27th April 2023 Lords Chamber

[Lord Callanan (Con)]

I refer the noble Baroness to the answer I gave to the noble Baroness, Lady Sheehan. We still have in this country a requirement for oil and gas. Some 80% of our space heating comes from gas. We need to phase that out in a transition. Over the years, we need to electrify more, but in the short term we have a requirement for oil and gas. The question is whether we want to get it from Qatar or Saudi Arabia and pay taxes abroad, or employ our own people in the North Sea to extract those same reserves?

[Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick (Lab)]

My Lords, the Dasgupta review commissioned by the Treasury warned against the continued use of subsidies towards fossil fuels because they are driving biodiversity loss. Before the Minister says that they do not subsidise them, there are tax breaks, investment allowances and decommissioning loopholes—all of which are subsidies. What can the Minister say today about dealing with biodiversity loss and ending those subsidies towards fossil fuels?

[Lord Callanan (Con)]

I am sorry to disappoint the noble Baroness but the Minister is going to say that we do not subsidise fossil fuels, because that is the case. In fact, the opposite is true. We gain billions of pounds per year in tax revenues from fossil fuels.