Mr Michael Fabricant (Lichfield, Conservative)

In that direction I look to the Minister, who said—I hope that he will intervene if I misrepresent him—that where someone is away on business or on holiday and no transactions take place, the business will not necessarily be deemed to have ceased trading per se. Therefore, the authority would not necessarily issue a notice to say that the company has ceased trading for 28 days and will be taken off the register. Given that the Government have decided that this 28-day rule will still stand, I can understand the concern of people in the salvage industry that they might, inadvertently, be taken off the register. For that reason, the amendments—which would add the words ``the procedure for re-registration'' as information that would be provided to the person being taken off the register—are important.

The Minister, for all sorts of different reasons, may say that he is not prepared to accept the amendments. He gave an undertaking to the Committee this morning that, after consultation with local authorities and the salvage industry, there would be a plan to introduce a standardised form throughout England and Wales. In addition to the standardised form and its questions, there should be either a booklet or notes attached to the form, including information about how those who are de-registered can re-register.

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