Enterprise Bill
10:30 am
Miss Melanie Johnson (Parliamentary Under-Secretary, Department of Trade and Industry; Welwyn Hatfield, Labour)
I beg to move
That—
(1) during proceedings on the Enterprise Bill the Standing Committee do meet on Tuesdays at 10.30 am and at 4.30 pm, on Thursdays at 9.30 am and between 2.30 pm and 5 pm and on Wednesday 1st May at 10.30 am and between 4.30 pm and 7 pm, except that on Tuesday 30th April the Committee shall not meet at 10.30 am and on Thursday 2nd May the Committee shall not meet;
(2) the proceedings shall be taken in the following order, namely Clause 1, Schedule 1, Clauses 2 to 11, Clause 196, Clauses 16 to 18, Clauses 179 to 195, Clause 198, Clauses 200 and 201, Schedule 13, Clauses 202 to 226, Clauses 20 to 66, Schedule 5, Clauses 67 to 81, Schedule 6, Clause 82, Schedule 7, Clauses 83 to 86, Schedule 9, Clauses 87 to 160, Schedule 8, Clauses 161 to 174, Clause 197, Clause 199, Clause 175, Schedule 10, Clauses 176 to 177, Schedule 11, Clause 178, Schedule 12, Clause 12, Schedule 2, Clauses 13 and 14, Schedule 3, Clause 15, Clause 19, Schedule 4, Clauses 227 and 228, Schedule 14, Clauses 229 to 231, Schedule 15, Clauses 232 to 239, Schedules 16 and 17, Clauses 240 and 241, Schedule 18, Clauses 242 to 245, Schedule 19, Clause 246, Schedules 20 and 21, Clauses 247 to 252, Schedule 22, Clauses 253 to 257, Schedule 23, Clauses 258 to 264, Schedule 24, Clauses 265 and 266, Schedules 25 and 26, Clauses 267 to 269, New Clauses and New Schedules;
(3) the proceedings on Clause 1, Schedule 1, Clauses 2 to 11, Clause 196, Clauses 16 to 18, Clauses 179 to 195, Clause 198, Clauses 200 and 201, Schedule 13 and Clauses 202 to 226 shall (so far as not previously concluded) be brought to a conclusion at 9.55 pm on Tuesday 23rd April.
(4) the proceedings on Clauses 20 to 66, Schedule 5, Clauses 67 to 81, Schedule 6, Clause 82, Schedule 7, Clauses 83 to 86, Schedule 9, Clauses 87 to 160, Schedule 8, Clauses 161 to 174, Clause 197, Clause 199, Clause 175, Schedule 10, Clauses 176 and 177, Schedule 11, Clause 178, Schedule 12, Clause 12, Schedule 2, Clauses 13 and 14, Schedule 3, Clause 15, Clause 19 and Schedule 4 shall (so far as not previously concluded) be brought to a conclusion at 1 pm on Wednesday 1st May;
(5) the proceedings on Clauses 227 and 228, Schedule 14, Clauses 229 to 231, Schedule 15 and Clauses 232 to 238 shall (so far as not previously concluded) be brought to a conclusion at 7 pm on Wednesday 1st May;
(6) the proceedings on Clause 239, Schedules 16 and 17, Clauses 240 and 241, Schedule 18, Clauses 242 to 245, Schedule 19, Clause 246, Schedules 20 and 21, Clauses 247 to 252, Schedule 22, Clauses 253 to 257, Schedule 23 and Clauses 258 to 260 shall (so far as not previously concluded) be brought to a conclusion at 5 pm on Thursday 9th May;
(7) the remaining proceedings on the Bill shall (so far as not previously concluded) be brought to a conclusion at 7 pm on Tuesday 14th May.
I welcome you, Mr. Conway, and your co-Chairman, Mr. Beard, to the Chair of the Committee. I have spent many happy hours in Committee Room 10, not Committee Room 11, so this venue is a change of scene for us all. I am grateful
for the opportunity to debate the Bill with Committee Members. I hope that it will be useful, and I am sure that Members will make constructive progress. However, if they do not, I know from previous experience that it is the Chairman's role to ensure that the proceedings are conducted in a businesslike way. I know your qualities, Mr. Conway, and I am sure that you will carry out that role.
I recall a Chairman in one Committee, who shall remain relatively anonymous. At the first sitting, he removed his jacket and advised other Members that they could do the same if they so wished because of the temperature. He revealed what looked remarkably like a gun holster arrangement, although there was no weapon in it. He later informed us that the holster was for his mobile phone. However, there was a strong resonance, as we suspected that it might have something to do with his other activities and be a new approach to enforcement.
The usual good will of Committee Chairmen will be sufficient to conduct business in this Committee. As you say, Mr. Conway, carrying around mobile phones can be dangerous in its own right.
I have a background in business, local authorities and many other aspects of life outside the House, and I am delighted to share the Committee with Opposition Members with their own backgrounds. It is an honour to face an Opposition Bench of former special advisers and civil servants that is laden with such talents. The hon. Member for South Cambridgeshire (Mr. Lansley) protested on Second Reading that he was definitely a civil servant and not a special adviser. We must acknowledge those distinctions in this Committee.
It usually falls to the senior Minister to provide a strategic overview of the Bill in Committee. In my experience, he or she then disappears for the rest of the proceedings. I will provide the strategic overview, but I will not disappear. It is important that we consider the Bill in as timely a way as possible.
The proposed programme resolution was discussed at the Programming Sub-Committee yesterday, and I am pleased that there was a general agreement on it at that meeting. The end date of 14 May will allow us 17 sittings to consider the Bill and any new clauses or schedules that may be proposed by amendment. The Government will table several amendments, but aim to give the Committee good notice of them. We will provide a written explanation of the nature and effect of each amendment when it is tabled.
The 17 sittings should provide enough time for proper scrutiny of the Bill. I say that in full recognition of the size of the Bill and the concerns that Opposition Members have expressed. However, as we heard on Second Reading, there is a good measure of support on both sides for many, if not most, of our proposals. We will, of course, work hard in the Committee to examine the Bill thoroughly and carefully. I hope that we will be focused and consensual in our work, and I am sure that we will be extremely constructive and make your job easy, Mr. Conway.
The resolution proposes that the provisions of the Bill be considered in order, with two main exceptions. We propose to give Committee members additional
time to prepare for debating the lengthy competition provisions in parts 3, 4 and 5, which together amount to more than 150 clauses. We propose to consider those parts after the consumer provisions of part 8 but before the information disclosure provisions of part 9, which are closely related and highly relevant to them. Consideration of part 2 most sensibly belongs after the competition provisions, because it relates to appeals against the various decisions that will be discussed in those proceeding parts. The Programming Sub-Committee also agreed that we could bring forward consideration of clauses 16, 17 and 18, which will be examined immediately before part 6.
I hope that Committee members will agree that the proposals constitute a sensible and reasonable way in which to proceed, and I ask them to support the resolution.