Mr Norman Baker (Shadow Secretary of State for the Environment, Environment, Food & Rural Affairs; Lewes, Liberal Democrat)

I hope to ask a question that is tangential, although not directly related. Is the constabulary covered by the Independent Police Complaints Commission set up under the Police Reform Act 2002?

Mr Nigel Griffiths (Parliamentary Under-Secretary, Department of Trade and Industry; Edinburgh South, Labour)

I am checking my brief, but I am not entirely sure whether that is the case.

Mr Stephen Timms (Minister of State (e-Commerce & Competitiveness), Department of Trade and Industry; East Ham, Labour)

There is to be a voluntary agreement.

Mr Nigel Griffiths (Parliamentary Under-Secretary, Department of Trade and Industry; Edinburgh South, Labour)

I am grateful to my hon. Friend for communicating to me the fact that the constabulary will have a voluntary agreement to be so covered.

Mr Norman Baker (Shadow Secretary of State for the Environment, Environment, Food & Rural Affairs; Lewes, Liberal Democrat)

I am not sure whether to welcome a voluntary agreement. If the Government are not planning a statutory requirement for the constabulary to come under the IPCC, I will regret that. Under the IPCC arrangements, members of the public have the right to complain about the behaviour of a police officer. It is possible that members of the public may interact with officers of the constabulary, because they may be within 5 km of a nuclear site. It would be wrong if they did not have that statutory right to invoke the complaints procedure.

A voluntary agreement presumably means that the Government intend that the constabulary should come under the IPCC. If they have that intention, why is it not being put on a statutory footing?

Mr Nigel Griffiths (Parliamentary Under-Secretary, Department of Trade and Industry; Edinburgh South, Labour)

I am happy to write to the Committee before the next sitting to set out the arrangements.

Question put and agreed to.

Clause 65 ordered to stand part of the Bill.

Clause 66 ordered to stand part of the Bill.

Schedule 13 agreed to.