Schedule 1 - The Office of Fair Trading
Enterprise Bill
11:45 am
Mr Ken Purchase (Wolverhampton North East, Labour/Co-operative)
The hon. Member for Twickenham rehearsed the arguments as to why we should not put off the amendment. This is the age-old problem of seeking people to serve on such bodies who have a sufficiently wide experience and knowledge to make a significant contribution. I have long given up the notion that there is a body of independent people who can express a value-free opinion without let or hindrance and put aside all other interests to arrive at a fair and proper decision. My experience is that such people are in exceedingly short supply and it is chasing an illusion to believe that we could people a body with such super-beings, who do not exist.
The hon. Gentleman also gave us reason to recognise that his own amendment, which would mean that such a person would be interrogated by the Trade and Industry Committee, would also be a bad idea. You wisely did not select the amendment, Mr. Conway. The hon. Gentleman has told us from his wide experience and knowledge of the matter exactly what would happen. It would be worse than an interrogation. People would be put off being on the committee if they had to face the barrage of questions that the hon. Gentleman would ask as a member of the Select Committee.
There is no ready formula by which to appoint people to these important bodies. When the chairman or chairwoman is chosen, after a quite exhaustive procedure, not just a dusting down of the great and the good names that might appear from time to time, that person must be given some credit. He or she must be able to choose and to liaise with the Secretary of State to get a balanced and proper set of people to serve on the committee. The idea that 50 per cent. should represent one interest seems perfectly reasonable on the surface. Of course, we need people who understand what they are doing and have a background in the areas in which they are expected to make important decisions. They will not come with an independence of mind, however. Like most of us in this Room, they will come with bags and baggage that will preoccupy them and affect their decisions.
It is best left to the Secretary of State and the chairman or chairwoman of this committee to decide who may serve, recognising that we all have our own interests to serve, that we can call upon expert opinion, that we can ask for written submissions and that the body involved can take evidence from as wide a range of people as it wishes in examining any issue that is referred to it. We should therefore reject the amendment on the grounds that we could never satisfy all the different sectors that would want to be represented at this level, but should leave it to the common sense and good judgment of whoever is appointed as chair, in liaison with the Secretary of State.