Clause 115
Company Law Reform Bill [Lords]
11:30 am
David Howarth (Shadow Minister (Energy), Trade & Industry; Cambridge, Liberal Democrat)
That is certainly one factor; the other is the seriousness of the situation if the decision goes the wrong way. The question that I want the Minister to address is: what is the balance between the two different risks? On the one hand, there is the risk of intimidation and violence. How frequently might that arise? On the other hand, there is the risk of fraud, to which the hon. Member for Newcastle-under-Lyme referred. The first question, therefore, is how often these risks arise The second is how serious the two risks are. How serious is the risk of physical violence on the one side and financial loss on the other? The balance involves all three of those things, not just the question of access to the court, which the Minister mentioned.