Domestic Violence, Crime and Victims Bill [Lords]
9:10 am
Mr David Heath (Shadow Minister (Home Affairs), Home Affairs; Somerton and Frome, Liberal Democrat)
I, too, welcome you to the Chair, Dame Marion, and I echo the congratulations from both sides on your elevation. Having had the pleasure of serving on a previous Committee under your chairmanship, I know that we can look forward to expeditious consideration of the business and good order throughout. That is exactly what one would expect.
The Bill is important, but I hope that it does not require us to extend our proceedings unnaturally. We can fully debate the matters before us, and I hope that we will be able to do so within the time allocated.
The fact that the Government propose to overturn the improvements made to the Bill in another place gives me cause for concern and deep regret. The Government are wrong, and I look forward to arguing why that is so. Those in another place who amended the Bill did so for the right reason: to make it a better piece of legislation. I have every anticipation that if the Government reverse those changes in this House, the same amendments, or something similar, will return to us at a later stage, and the Bill will be thus delayed.
I also have concerns about the late introduction of the proposals now before us. From the sound of the Home Secretary's comments on them, we will welcome them, but, nevertheless, to bring them in at this stage gives cause for concern, not least because it has been suggested that that will require recommittal to another place. That seems unfortunate, because the Bill has brought about a great deal of consensus between the political parties about the right way forward. We welcome it, but we seek to improve it by addition and by resisting the Government's attempts to change what it contains as a result of efforts in another place. I hope that we will make speedy progress.