Clause 5
Regulatory Enforcement and Sanctions Bill [Lords]
11:15 am
Mark Prisk (Shadow Minister, Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform; Hertford and Stortford, Conservative)
I beg to move amendment No. 1, in clause 5, page 3, line 37, at end insert—
‘(d) in accordance with any Code issued from time to time under Section 22 of the Legislative and Regulatory Reform Act 2006 (c. 51).’.
Amendment No. 1 would insert a new paragraph (d) to clause 5. Its purpose is expressly to include Hampton principles in the LBRO’s objectives. The reason goes back to the origins of the Bill, namely, the Hampton review of regulatory enforcement. The principles include co-ordination, consistency of regulatory enforcement, a risk-based approach—targeting the rogues and not the individual who has made the odd error—and, most important, securing compliance with rules rather than just chasing prosecution. Those principles are supported by Opposition Members and by many businesses. Indeed, the amendment has the support of a number of businesses and their representatives, including the British Retail Consortium. Although I appreciate that subsection (2) lists some of those principles, it is neither explicit nor complete. The amendment would strengthen the clause, and I look forward to hearing the Minister’s reply as to why he thinks the reverse, or whether in fact he is only too delighted to accept the amendment.