Clause 1
Compensation Bill [Lords]
4:45 pm
Lembit Öpik (Shadow Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, Northern Ireland Affairs; Montgomeryshire, Liberal Democrat)
Welcome to the Chair, Mr. Caton. Does the hon. Lady agree that it is hard to see why the Government would want to resist that? By putting “shall” instead of “may”, we are asking that the court will always take account of that condition. If it does not apply, that will be fine. However, it may be inferred from “may” that there might be occasions when the conditions should be taken into account but will not be. Does she agree that the amendment is a sensible—almost a housekeeping—change to ensure that the clause is properly applied.