Clause 57
Company Law Reform Bill [Lords]
6:45 pm
Vera Baird (Parliamentary Under-Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs; Redcar, Labour)
Again, I thank the hon. Gentleman for his clear explanation of his proposal. Could I say straight away that I am advised that “writing” does not necessarily mean copperplate, quill pens or the things that we lawyers usually write in? The word is appropriate unless the context otherwise requires us to cover electronic communication, so there is no anachronism in the current wording.
I am sympathetic to anyone who suffers from official bodies not responding to their reasonable requests—not that it happens very much, of course—but I cannot agree to the amendment, as it would seriously weaken the protection to the public provided by the clause. The point of clauses 55 and 56, which are supplemented by clause 57, is to prevent people from being misled by a company having a name that wrongly suggests that it has some connection with an official body, expertise of a particular kind or a degree of pre-eminence.
Debate adjourned.—[Steve McCabe.]