Clause 55 - Survey
Planning and Compulsory Purchase Bill
4:45 pm

Mr Geoffrey Clifton-Brown (Cotswold, Conservative)

I did not have a chance to reply to the Minister earlier. It is all very well for him to mock our amendments, but he has a team of civil servants and lawyers behind him. We in the Opposition have to do the work ourselves with very little help. I am not complaining about that, but we are more likely to make occasional mistakes. If we make mistakes in amendments, surely the Minister should be able to get the spelling right throughout the Bill.

Mr Don Touhig (Parliamentary Under-Secretary, Welsh Office; Islwyn, Labour/Co-operative)

I appreciate the hon. Gentleman's point. I would not dream of making reference to Short money. At the end of the day, one does not have to have a university degree or be a great scientist to realise that the borders of Wales do not touch Greater London.

Mr Peter Pike (Burnley, Labour)

Order. For the record, the Chair puts the question at the start of a clause stand part debate. If there is no debate, there is no right of reply.

Mr Geoffrey Clifton-Brown (Cotswold, Conservative)

I merely make the point that a GCSE student or a person who had been educated to O-level standard knows how to spell ''compulsory ''and ''satisfactory''. It is surprising that the Minister has not managed to get those spellings right in the Bill.

Sir Paul Beresford (Mole Valley, Conservative)

My hon. Friend must recognise that the Minister has been boxing shadows. We made it clear that we tabled the probing amendments merely to make a point.

It being Five o'clock The Chairman proceeded, pursuant to Sessional Order D [29 November 2002] and the Order of the Committee [9 January 2003], to put forthwith the Question already proposed from the Chair.

Question put, That clauses 55 to 72 stand part of the Bill:—

The Committee divided: Ayes 10, Noes 3.