Equality Bill [Lords]
10:30 am
Eleanor Laing (Shadow Secretary of State for Scotland, Scotland; Epping Forest, Conservative)
I echo the Minister’s words and welcome you to the Chair, Mr. Gale. I am sure that the whole Committee will be delighted to serve under you.
I do not oppose the programme motion. The Minister explained extremely well the way in which the Bill has been debated hitherto. The Opposition, of course, prefer programme motions not to contain knives, if I may use the colloquial expression, but as we broadly agree on what large parts of the Bill say and try to do, I suspect that they will not require detailed scrutiny. On other parts, however, although we agree in principle, we have considerable concerns about the detail and may require more time for debate.
I have one further point to make. The Committee has been timetabled to sit for four days but is starting today, even though Second Reading took place only one week ago yesterday. I appreciate that there are reasons for that, but the convention used to be that there would be two clear weekends between Second Reading and the beginning of a Bill’s Committee stage. There were good reasons for that: while the Government have the help of a great many learned and able civil servants in preparing a Bill, the Opposition parties—the minority parties—and anyone else who is entitled to table an amendment or to be involved in scrutinising a Bill have no such administrative and research support. The time between Second Reading and Committee is important in allowing Opposition parties, and anyone from any other part of the House, properly to consider a Bill.
I appreciate that that is not a matter for the Minister, because she did not decide that the Committee should start today, but it is perhaps one for you, Mr. Gale. In this instance, the usual channels may argue that Second Reading took place on a Monday, so that the Committee of Selection had plenty of time to choose the wonderful Members who are on the Committee this morning. I appreciate that that is technically correct, because selection takes place on a Wednesday. However, last Friday was a non-sitting day, so it was not available for tabling amendments. Furthermore, the House rose at 4.20 pm on Thursday, so there was very little sitting time after the end of Second Reading late on Monday night—in effect, two and a half working days—in which to table amendments for this morning.
I suspect that it is useful for the Government to be able to reduce the ability of those who want to hold them to account. The Government have partly stifled debate on the Bill by leaving only two and a half working days—perhaps two and three quarter days—in which to table amendments.
Having said that, eight sittings in four days is sufficient for such a Bill as this, the intention behind which has achieved broad consensus.