Part of the debate – in the House of Lords at 9:19 pm on 15 February 2006.
My Lords, I am grateful to noble Lords who expressed their support for these amendments, which I still maintain show the degree of flexibility that is to be required in practice so far as concerns the commissioner and his functions. They are very broad functions. They do not respect devolved areas, and neither do the individual cases that we know will confront him in real life, which will certainly involve both types of area. However, the Government feel strongly on this matter, as the Minister has indicated yet again, and it is unlikely that we will shift him on these points. We have done our best. Having done so, I beg leave to withdraw the amendment.