Export Control Bill
10:30 am
Mr Nigel Griffiths (Parliamentary Under-Secretary, Department of Trade and Industry; Edinburgh South, Labour)
I beg to move,
That—
(1) during proceedings on the Export Control Bill the Standing Committee do meet on Tuesdays at half-past Ten o'clock and at half-past Four o'clock and on Thursdays at half-past Nine o'clock and half-past Four o'clock;
(2) the proceedings on the Bill shall be taken in the following order, namely, Clause 1, Clause 3, the Schedule, Clauses 8 and 9, Clause 2, Clauses 4 to 7, Clauses 10 to 15, New Clauses, New Schedules;
(3) the proceedings on the Bill shall be brought to a conclusion on Tuesday 23rd October at One o'clock.
On behalf of all members of the Committee, may I welcome you, Mr. Benton, and your co-Chairman, Mr. Malins? It is appropriate that you are chairing the Committee on the Export Control Bill, given the tremendous contribution that Merseyside has made, and continues to make, to exports.
It is important to the Committee and to the Government that we should consider the Bill in as timely a way as possible. The timetable for considering the Bill is accepted by all as appropriate for a 15-clause Bill, and will enable us to deal with one or two clauses per sitting. I believe that that will be an efficient and effective use of the Committee's time. Moreover, it will enable the Government to honour an election pledge to give the United Kingdom a modern system of export licensing and control, thus replacing an emergency measure that was rushed through during wartime, and which is now more than half a century old.