Mr Gerry Sutcliffe (Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Employment Relations, Competition and Consumers), Department of Trade and Industry; Bradford South, Labour)

I beg to move,

That—

(1) during proceedings on the Employment Relations Bill (in addition to its first meeting at half-past Nine o'clock on Tuesday 3rd February 2004) the Standing Committee do meet—

(a) at half-past Two o'clock on Tuesday 3rd February 2004;

(b) at half-past Nine o'clock and half-past Two o'clock on each of the following days, namely, Thursday 5th February 2004, Tuesday 10th February 2004, Tuesday 24th February 2004 and Thursday 26th February 2004.

(2) the proceedings to be taken on the sittings shall be as shown in the second column of the Table below and shall be taken in the order so shown;

(3) the proceedings which under paragraph (2) are to be taken on any sitting shall (so far as not previously concluded) be brought to a conclusion at the time indicated in the Table;

(4) paragraph (2) does not prevent proceedings being taken (in the order shown in the second column of the Table) at any earlier sitting than that provided for under paragraph (2) if previous proceedings have already been concluded.

Good morning, Mr. Stevenson. I welcome you to the Chair and look forward to working with you and with Mr. Forth, who will replace you in due course. This is an important Bill and we look forward to the detailed discussions that we will have.

I am delighted to see the hon. Member for North-West Norfolk (Mr. Bellingham) in his place. Skill, charm and wit are among his attributes and, although I am sure that he will get it wrong in terms of substance, the Programming Sub-Committee has tried to provide ample time to ensure that the Bill is well

scrutinised. I welcome the hon. Gentleman to his place, as I do other Opposition Members, including the hon. Member for Gordon (Malcolm Bruce). On my own side, I am delighted to have my former colleague in the Whips Office, my hon. Friend the Member for Staffordshire, Moorlands (Charlotte Atkins), alongside me to keep the expert array of talent on the Government Benches in order as we go through the Bill.

I believe that there is ample opportunity to discuss a range of issues. I want to raise the issue of the union modernisation fund, which has hit the press since Second Reading. I assure the Committee that it will have the opportunity, despite what the press reports may say, to discuss the issue in full at the appropriate time. The Government are currently considering the proposals, but they will come before the Committee and I am sure that it will have wise words to say about the fund. We will give the Committee that opportunity.

Mr Henry Bellingham (North West Norfolk, Conservative)

I endorse what the Minister has said in welcoming you, Mr. Stevenson, and your colleague, Mr. Forth, to the Committee. We in the Opposition look forward to working with you.

I am glad that we have agreed some alterations to the programme motion. Initially, we took the view that there was no need for a programme motion on the Bill. As the Minister has pointed out, it is an important Bill but not one that will involve our getting into long detailed arguments. I have said all along that we will be constructive and positive about many parts of the Bill, but will want to concentrate on one or two specific clauses.

I regret the principle of the programme motion, but I want to thank the Minister and the Government Whip for their flexibility in allowing us a little more time for discussion of part 1. There are quite a few amendments on part 1, and I am sure that Government Members will want to make various comments. The Minister mentioned the union consolidation fund. It is regrettable that the Bill is already being used as an opportunity to add a variety of new amendments. Although we find that regrettable, we will obviously await the substance and details and return to the matter in due course. However, we are content with the programme motion as it stands.

Mr Malcolm Bruce (Shadow Secretary of State for Trade & Industry, Trade & Industry; Gordon, Liberal Democrat)

I support the hon. Gentleman's remarks, and thank the Minister and the Government Whip for their courtesy in allowing consultation on the programme motion. It is both my personal view from experience and my party's view that an agreed programme that allows a Bill to be properly debated is far preferable to an elastic programme that has to be curtailed, leaving significant provisions undebated or undetermined.

We as a party broadly support the Bill; the Conservative Opposition's position is rather different. However, we would like to debate one or two issues and we will also be tabling amendments. I hope that we have the balance and the spirit right. We are here to do

a job of work and to debate the issues objectively and tirelessly. The consultation that has taken place in advance has been constructive.

Question put and agreed to.

Mr George Stevenson (Stoke-on-Trent South, Labour)

I now move to a short announcement on Committee arrangements. Adequate notice should be given of amendments. As a general rule, my co-Chairman and I do not intend to call starred amendments, including any starred amendment that might be reached during an afternoon sitting. I hope that all Committee members understand that as I do.

Clause 1 ordered to stand part of the Bill.