Title
Companies (Audit, Investigations and Community Enterprise) Bill [Lords]
11:00 am
Ms Jacqui Smith (Minister of State (Industry and the Regions and Deputy Minister for Women), Department of Trade and Industry; Redditch, Labour)
On a point of order, Mr. Conway. Committee proceedings are drawing to a close, but it would be remiss of me not to record my appreciation of how the Committee's work has been carried out. I thank you and your co-Chairman, Mr. Taylor, for chairing the Committee. I also express my appreciation to my hon. Friends.
I thank the hon. Member for Sutton Coldfield for trying so hard to provide us with a range of alternatives. I also thank our Liberal Democrat colleagues for engaging with the Bill in the correct spirit. I congratulate my hon. Friend the Member for West Bromwich, East (Mr. Watson) on successfully piloting his first Bill through Committee. Last but not least, I thank my officials for all their hard work in getting us to this point.
Mr Andrew Mitchell (Shadow Minister, Economic Affairs; Sutton Coldfield, Conservative)
Further to that point of order, Mr. Conway. I echo the Minister's thanks to you and Mr. Taylor, your co-Chairman, for how you chaired the Committee. This is a highly technical Bill covering a large range of technical matters, and I am grateful for the long-suffering way in which you allowed us to range over them. I also thank the Minister for her courtesy. I congratulate the Government Whip, who clearly has an outstanding career ahead of him. I also thank the Hansard staff—on a Bill as technical as this, they perform what is an extremely difficult task.
Mr Brian Cotter (Shadow Minister (Trade & Industry), Trade & Industry; Weston-Super-Mare, Liberal Democrat)
I simply say, ''Hear, hear!''
Mr Derek Conway (Old Bexley and Sidcup, Conservative)
I thank members of the Committee for their observations and their compliments to me and my co-Chairman, Mr. Taylor. I share the thanks that they expressed to the Serjeant at Arms team, our Clerks and the Hansard reporters. I also thank members of the Committee for their co-operation; both Chairmen are grateful.
Question put and agreed to.
Bill, as amended, to be reported.
Committee rose at twenty-nine minutes past Eleven o'clock.