Domestic Violence, Crime and Victims Bill [Lords]
9:10 am
Mrs Cheryl Gillan (Shadow Minister, Home, Constitutional & Legal Affairs; Chesham and Amersham, Conservative)
On a point of order, Dame Marion. I wonder whether you can help me. I think that it is only fair to raise the following matter at this stage in proceedings.
The Bill started in November 2003 in another place. On 4 March, it was the subject of a complaint by Baroness Anelay, who voiced the Opposition's views on the fact that even though the Bill had already been in the other House for three months 17 pages of Government amendments on mental incapacity were suddenly tabled on the eve of the eleventh hour. At that stage, my noble Friend asked for recommittal proceedings, which were quietly brushed aside.
What is so sad about this Christmas tree Bill is that almost nine months later and four sittings before the end of the agreed time for the scrutiny of the Bill by this Committee, the Government have again tabled a series of significant amendments that make a great deal of difference to the Bill. This is not the first time that that has happened. So serious are the amendments that they involve yet another adjustment to the long title—I think that it has now been adjusted three times.
I would like your advice, Dame Marion, about what can be done. The Government's action is not in the spirit of the way in which we have tried to co-operate with them on the Bill, or in the spirit of effective scrutiny of the legislation. It shows that the Government are so chaotic that they cannot get their act together in nine months to present the House with a suitable draft Bill. It robs those organisations outside the House who have been intimately involved with the passage and process of the Bill of the opportunity to consult and feed back their views on important clauses. Once again, the spectre of recommittal in the other place is raised because their lordships have not had a chance to scrutinise large chunks of the Bill.
Dame Marion, can you advise me whether it would be in order to ask for recommittal of the Bill in another place, and whether there is any way that we can prevent such activity by the Government, which looks like sharp practice?