Clause 3
Holocaust (Stolen Art) Restitution Bill
9:45 am
John Mann (Bassetlaw, Labour)
I wholeheartedly support the amendments and congratulate the promoter of the Bill on his perseverance, attention to detail and ingenuity in getting the Bill to this stage. It is an unusual day for Parliament: we have a Minister who is totally on top of her brief and knows what she is talking about; we have an Opposition providing intelligent comment in support of the Bill; we have brevity from the Liberal Democrats; and we have no Whips present. In a modern democracy this is how legislation should increasingly originate and proceed. I trust that the Minister can guarantee that there will no attempt by the Government Whips to ensure insufficient time for the Bill to progress to statute.