Clause 6 - Power to require information
Export Control Bill
4:30 pm
Mr Nigel Griffiths (Parliamentary Under-Secretary, Department of Trade and Industry; Edinburgh South, Labour)
An amendment proposing the deletion of the clause has not been taken, so I am in the slightly awkward position of advising the Committee to oppose the motion that clause 6 stand part of the Bill and persuading it that we should strike the clause from the Bill. After due consideration, the Government have concluded that the wide powers provided in clause 6, about which the Select Committee on Delegated Powers and Deregulation in another place had expressed concern, are not necessary.
Committee members may have seen from the dummy orders that no substantial new powers are introduced in relation to record keeping. The Government have concluded that record-keeping requirements may be met by using the powers under clauses 1, 2, 4 and 5, which is reflected in the dummy orders. The introduction of an additional power under clause 6 is unnecessary. The Government wish to omit clause 6 and, for the avoidance of doubt, make a small addition to clause 7. We will discuss amendments to clause 7 shortly, and there will also be a minor consequential amendment to clause 12. For those reasons, I hope that the Committee will agree that clause 6 should not stand part of the Bill.