Water Bill [HL]

Part of the debate – in the House of Lords at 6:00 pm on 12 June 2003.

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Photo of Baroness O'Cathain Baroness O'Cathain Conservative 6:00, 12 June 2003

My Lords, in moving Amendment No. 31, I speak also to Amendment No. 35. I assure noble Lords that I shall be brief. Clauses 25 and 27 will, in prescribed circumstances, empower the Secretary of State to deprive licence holders of rights under existing licences without the payment of compensation. This amendment provides a right of appeal against the merits of such decisions to some independent person or tribunal. It recognises that existing rights are affected.

This is part of a package of amendments on appeals which aim to ensure that there are rights of appeal on the merits of the regulator's decisions to independent persons, taking into account that there are already such rights in relation to the granting of abstraction licences and decisions on competition issues. These amendments, and other appeal provisions, replace what I would refer to as our "jumbo" appeals amendment in Grand Committee. It was somewhat complex and caused some confusion. Instead, specific amendments are proposed to provisions where regulatory decisions affect existing rights or are punitive in nature. I beg to move.