Clause 22 - Functions to which sections 19 and 22 apply
Legislative and Regulatory Reform Bill
10:00 am
Christopher Chope (Christchurch, Conservative)
I want to follow on from that point. Surely, every body that exercises a regulatory function under the definition of clause 23 should be included unless specifically excluded. The Government are saying, “Only those regulatory bodies that exercise particular regulatory functions that we think should be subject to this code are to be included.”
I want to ask the Minister about some specific examples. Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs is carrying out regulatory functions in accordance with clause 23. Does the Minister have it in mind that those functions should be subject to the principles and code of practice set out in part 2 of the Bill? The Department for Work and Pensions carries out functions as defined in clause 23 and we know that it has caused an enormous amount of angst for many of our constituents in the process of carrying out those functions. Will its activities be subject to the principles set out in part 2? Will the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, or the Child Support Agency, for example, be subject to the regulatory controls set out in part 2?
I congratulate the hon. Member for Somerton and Frome on his well-deserved elevation. He mentioned the specific bodies set out in subsection (5). Does the Minister accept my point on clause 19, that the Office of Rail Regulation has recently been guilty of a gross breach of the Hampton principles in imposing a fine of £250,000 on Network Rail for technical breaches of regulatory requirements? If he accepts that, does he not think that, in the context of the Bill, we should be doing something to ensure that that cannot happen again?
Similarly, the Postal Services Commission is now actively engaging in imposing substantial financial penalties on Royal Mail, with the consequence that the cost to Royal Mail users increases. Does the Minister not think that the Postal Services Commission should have to comply with the principles set out in part 2? I hope that the Minister will address each of those important examples.