[Part I]
Enterprise Bill
4:45 pm
Miss Melanie Johnson (Parliamentary Under-Secretary, Department of Trade and Industry; Welwyn Hatfield, Labour)
Under the offence, prosecutions may be brought for agreements that are implemented, or intended to be implemented, in the UK. That includes agreements that are reached abroad and intended to be implemented in the UK. However, subsection (3) requires that in those circumstances, some subsequent action must have been taken to implement the agreement in the UK. That action could be no more than a clear instruction by telephone or e-mail into the UK to implement the agreement. It would be for the courts to determine whether such action had been taken. Those are the arrangements envisaged in the clause.
The hon. Member for Huntingdon mentioned other states. We make legislation that impacts on business that is conducted in this country or on matters that relate to this country, so his point would not be relevant to the Bill. It is a bit of a novelty to listen to
Conservative Members arguing that we are being insufficiently European in our approach.
Question put and agreed to.
Clause 181 ordered to stand part of the Bill.