Clause 2 - Initial function of OFCOM
Office of Communications Bill [Lords]
2:30 pm
Mrs Anne McIntosh (Vale of York, Conservative)
I am most grateful to my hon. Friend for that appropriate intervention. I, too, have met a number of the current regulators, but they are not leaving the scene; they hope to become part of the new regulator. It would be inappropriate for me to support their application at this stage, and I am sure that the Minister would not want me to make representations on their behalf in Committee.
That strengthens the argument for new clause 2. The Minister has not yet provided the Committee with the timetable for the transition. I am sure that he has had a good lunch and has not had enough time to consider the matter, but we must have a commitment from the Government that the transition period will be time limited. The 1,111 current employees will be deeply concerned about their future. It is incumbent on the Committee to recognise the uncertainty facing the industry, those employees and the regulators. I therefore seek the Minister's approval for the new clause.
The Towers Perrin report—the Minister can see that I am warming to my theme—goes on to say that the plan for the transition period, which we say should last one year, should plan for implementation from the start of the design phase. He may not accept the amendment or new clause 2 because the Government do not have the time they need in the space of one year. He has given us no indication of, for example, where the new Ofcom is to be housed—although I might have missed something in debate. We are on the third day of our sittings and our proceedings have moved rapidly; it may be that I have not been alert, as Miss Widdecombe would have said. However, the Government will not be alert enough and competent enough to reach the timetable of best practice commissioned by the regulators' steering group in the Towers Perrin report.
Moving on rapidly, the transition principle to which that report refers is that the existing regulators want to ensure that the way in which Ofcom is built and designed sends clear signals and gives people positive experiences of Ofcom's future ways of working. To enable the Minister to find a quick response to these questions, pages 40 and 41 of the report are relevant. It will be apparent to the Committee that this is a probing amendment that provides an opportunity for the Minister to state the extent to which the Government are prepared on matters such as where Ofcom is to be housed.