Member

Amendment 11, in the name of the noble Lord, Lord Moylan, would reduce the current drafting of the levy obligation with a requirement for suppliers to pay a standard levy expressed in pence per litre and shown on invoices. Transparency, simplicity and a visible pence per litre rate are all attractive features, and we would like to see many such principles in practice. However, writing this specific model into primary legislation at this stage, when active negotiations are ongoing, would lock the Government into one particular form of levy design and invoicing, regardless of how fuel mix changes or whether, in time, a different basis, perhaps reflecting energy emissions content, would be more appropriate. These design choices, balancing regulation and scheme rules where they can be fine-tuned, are better there and not fixed in the Bill. However, we want to see further progress on these matters so that solutions can be found that work for industry and government. We reserve the right to challenge the SI should these issues continue to persist by that point.