Coroners and Justice Bill
10:30 am
Witness
Tuesday 3 February
Until no later than 12.20 pm
Ministry of Justice
Tuesday 3 February
Until no later than 1.00 pm
Law Commission
Tuesday 3 February
Until no later than 5.30 pm
The Coroners’ Society of England and Wales; INQUEST; the Royal College of Pathologists; Cardiac Risk in the Young
Tuesday 3 February
Until no later than 6.15 pm
Liberty
Tuesday 3 February
Until no later than 7.00 pm
National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children; Barnardo’s Internet Watch Foundation
Thursday 5 February
Until no later than 10.25 am
The Magistrates’ Association; NACRO; Victim Support; Prison Reform Trust
Thursday 5 February
Until no later than 1.40 pm
Keir Starmer QC, Director of Public Prosecutions
Thursday 5 February
Until no later than 2.30 pm
The Law Society; the Criminal Bar Association
Thursday 5 February
Until no later than 3.00 pm
Justice for Women
Thursday 5 February
Until no later than 4.00 pm
Information Commissioner’s Office
(3) proceedings on consideration of the Bill in Committee shall be taken in the following order: Clauses 1 to 14; Schedule 1; Clauses 15 to 21; Schedule 2; Clause 22; Schedule 3; Clauses 23 and 24; Schedule 4; Clause 25; Schedule 5; Clause 26; Schedule 6; Clause 27; Schedule 7; Clauses 28 to 31; Schedule 8; Clauses 32 to 38; Schedule 9; Clauses 151 to 154; Schedule 18; Clauses 39 to 48; Schedule 10; Clauses 49 to 55; Schedule 11; Clauses 56 to 82; Schedule 12; Clauses 83 to 100; Schedule 13; Clauses 101 to 119; Schedule 14; Clauses 120 to 124; Schedule 15; Clauses 125 to 131; Schedule 16; Clauses 132 to 147; Schedule 17; Clauses 148 to 150; Clauses 155 and 156; Schedules 19 and 20; Clause 157; Schedule 21; Clauses 158 to 162; new Clauses; new Schedules; remaining proceedings on the Bill;
(4) the proceedings shall (so far as not previously concluded) be brought to a conclusion at 4.00 pm on Thursday 5 March.
I am delighted to be taking the Bill through under you, Mr. Cook, and your co-Chairman, Mr. Gale. I know that you will both conduct the proceedings of this Committee in a fair and impartial way. This is an important Bill and it is important that it is subject to full and proper scrutiny.
The programme motion largely speaks for itself, so I intend to be brief. I just want to draw the Committee’s attention to one point. On Second Reading, the hon. Member for Cambridge suggested that our putting the data-sharing provisions into part 8 was an attempt to smuggle them through as though they were illicit contraband. Rather than be accused of such smuggling, we have worked the order of consideration so that the amendments to the Data Protection Act 1998 in part 8 will be considered immediately after the coroner and death certification proceedings in part 1. I hope that that reordering will meet with the agreement of not just the hon. Member for Cambridge but other members of the Committee.
There will be two full days for oral evidence followed by five days of the usual clause-by-clause consideration. There is always the possibility—we have the flexibility—to sit a little later on Tuesdays if necessary, but I shall obviously leave that in the very capable hands of the Government Whip.
It might assist you, Mr. Cook, and hon. Members if I advise the Committee that, in broad terms, I will be leading on parts 1, 5, 6, 8 and 9 and my hon. Friend the Under-Secretary of State for Justice will lead on parts 2, 4 and 7. In the case of part 3, she will lead in the debates on witness anonymity and I will deal with the other chapters in that part. I look forward to a constructive and searching debate on the Bill and commend the motion to the Committee.