Clause 3 - CORE scheme grants
Electoral Administration Bill
11:15 am
Harriet Harman (Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs; Camberwell and Peckham, Labour)
Probably there will not be a need for it, but I am confident that if we had not included it the hon. Gentleman would have tabled an amendment to investigate what would happen if, after having been given all the relevant money, the keeper were to be dissolved, or became unable to perform its functions, and it was desirable to appoint another keeper. The subsection is just a matter of thinking of all eventualities. We do not expect it to be needed. We expect that the arrangements, as with all the Government's computer programmes, will go swimmingly. It is sensible, in using substantial amounts of public money, to make sure that if those to whom a grant is made cannot perform the duty in question, or if circumstances change, the money can be retrieved.
I assure hon. Members once again that the matter will be subject to consultation through the consultation document. I thank the hon. Gentleman for his probing question, which we shall discuss further when we come to consider regulations.