Mr David Wilshire (Spelthorne, Conservative)

I beg to move amendment No. 23, in

page 5, line 41, leave out 'may' and insert 'must'.

I could speak at some length about the amendment, and had looked forward to doing so, because the implication of the clause is there could be a free-for-all when the Minister becomes converted to the idea of privatisation. A number of authorities will contract out the service, and I should hate to think that we were giving them an opportunity to compete with each other for the most garish uniform. They might even decide to sell advertisements on the backs or fronts of the jackets if we had no control.

Mr David Wright (Telford, Labour)

That is the market.

Mr David Wilshire (Spelthorne, Conservative)

Some things about the market are more acceptable than others. I shall be happy to have a lengthy debate if the hon. Gentleman would like one.

One principle of contracting out and privatisation is that one writes the contracts that one wants. It does not necessarily affect the market if I—the person contracting with somebody else for that person to provide, in that name, the service that I want—say that I want that person to look smart and tidy, not garish. That does not undermine anything to do with the free

market. If the hon. Member for Telford (David Wright) would like a little lesson in free market economics, I shall be in the Strangers Bar later, and I shall be happy to oblige him or any member of the Labour party who needs help in the course of the evening; some of them might.

The Minister should give some thought to saying that the national authority ''must'' specify the uniform, or else we could have a proliferation of uniforms, and confusion among the public.

Mr David Jamieson (Parliamentary Under-Secretary, Department for Transport; Plymouth, Devonport, Labour)

We do want consistency of uniforms. There was a feeling that some flexibility in certain circumstances might be appropriate. However, I have news for the hon. Gentleman. We are prepared to consider the matter, as there is some merit in his argument.

Mr David Wilshire (Spelthorne, Conservative)

It would be unfair of me not to say to the Minister that I am not just grateful to him for being so persuaded, but gobsmacked. It just goes to show that if one writes enough amendments, one or two of them will be sensible.

Mr David Jamieson (Parliamentary Under-Secretary, Department for Transport; Plymouth, Devonport, Labour)

We are a listening Government; we always listen to good ideas, wherever they come from.

Mr David Wilshire (Spelthorne, Conservative)

With great enthusiasm, I beg to ask leave to withdraw the amendment.

Amendment, by leave, withdrawn.

Clause 11 ordered to stand part of the Bill.