Clause 5 - Pre-sale issue of shares, &c. to government Amendment proposed [this day]: No. 33, in clause 5, page 4, line 3, leave out from 'without' to end of line 3 and insert
Horserace Betting and Olympic Lottery Bill
2:30 pm
Mr James Paice (South East Cambridgeshire, Conservative)
I cannot say that I am surprised. It has been the lot of Ministers over millennia—not just Ministers in
this Government—to resist measures to put statutory instruments into Bills. Even though they usually stuff Bills full of statutory instruments for secondary legislation themselves, they always resist any attempt to put one in to constrain a Minister's freedom of action.
I shall leave it to you to judge, Mr. Sayeed, but I think that it is in order for the Minister to comment on the assurance that he has received from the racing industry in the last few minutes that there will be a racing trust. That is tantamount to saying that these amendments are unnecessary, because he is going to get the sale that we all want. I have never been in any doubt about there being a racing trust. I do not know how other members of the Committee feel, but the Minister's earlier comments led me to think that it was he who doubted whether there would be a suitable racing trust to which he felt he could sell the Tote. I have never doubted that there would be a trust and I am glad that he received reaffirmation of that at lunchtime.
However, my concern is not with the Minister in particular. If, as I have said repeatedly—I fear that I shall do so again during our proceedings—for some reason we find ourselves in the hands of a different Minister or Secretary of State before the Committee concludes its business, we may find that this Minister's undertakings, which I readily take at face value, may prove to be less substantial than we should like. However, even I can do arithmetic and I see no point in pursuing the matter to a vote.
I am sorry that the Minister will not give us the fall-back position of a statutory instrument. I take at face value his assurance that, if the Government are unable to proceed to a sale to racing, he will consider carefully what to do and will consult the racing industry. I hope that he will also consult hon. Members in all parts of the House who take an interest in these matters: I include particularly my hon. Friend the Member for South-West Hertfordshire (Mr. Page), who is one of the joint chairmen of the all-party group on racing and bloodstock. In the unfortunate event of there not being a sale, I hope that everyone will be content and will agree on the right way forward. On the understanding that the Minister will do that, I beg to ask leave to withdraw the amendment.
Amendment, by leave, withdrawn.
Question proposed, That the clause stand part of the Bill.