New Clause 7
Tribunals, Courts and Enforcement Bill [Lords]
1:45 pm
Vera Baird (Parliamentary Under-Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs; Redcar, Labour)
The new clause is not related to any provision in the Bill; it is an attempt to compel the Civil Procedure Rules Committee to amend the rules about enforcement of possession orders. I heard what the hon. Member for North Southwark and Bermondsey said about justice, but this procedure has been found to be entirely compatible with the Human Rights Act 1998 by the Court of Appeal. Consequently, there is no clash with justice implicit in the procedure.
Additionally, we have a Civil Procedure Rules Committee to which the hon. Gentleman’s constituent can rightly direct submissions for changes to the civil procedure rules through the hon. Gentleman, by writing in any way and at any time that she wishes. Perhaps she has already done so. The Committee will take her comments into account. There is absolutely no doubt that it considers carefully all the procedural rules that are required and amends them as and where necessary.
Parliament has given the responsibility for changing the civil procedure rules to that Committee; thereis no justification, in this instance, for removing that responsibility. There is a parliamentary procedure for objecting to rule changes by the Committee, and the Government are content with that position.