Enterprise Bill – in a Public Bill Committee at 9:45 am on 16 May 2002.
Nigel Waterson
Conservative, Eastbourne
9:45,
16 May 2002
I beg to move Amendment No. 45, in page 181, line 9, at end add—
'(2) Parts 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7 of this Act shall not come into force before 1st March 2005'.
It is relatively rare, I suspect, to seek to amend the commencement provision. Normally by this stage in the proceedings, members of the Committee are already fantasising about their next activity. I will not detain them long.
The amendment is designed to make the point—unless the Under-Secretary is with us on it, all we can really do of course is make a point—that, given how much feeling about the Bill's competition provisions has been expressed, both in our debates and, through Conservative Members, by business, industry and practitioners, it is very early to be revisiting such aspects of the competition regime. There are two main reasons for that. The first is the way that the European regime is developing, which could be different from developments in Britain, or vice versa. Secondly, and perhaps even more importantly, it is so soon after the Competition Act 1998 came into force.
The idea behind the amendment is to give everyone a sensible breathing space in which to continue to try to get to grips with the previous legislation and the implications of this further layer, as well as with what is happening in Europe, so that businesses can spend a bit of time on making profits and producing goods and services. That would allow for a specific period following the coming into force of the Competition Act.
Mr Tony McWalter
Labour/Co-operative, Hemel Hempstead
I merely want to point out to the hon. Gentleman that, as of yesterday, fantasising is not permitted on the Labour Benches.
Miss Melanie Johnson
Parliamentary Under-Secretary, Department of Trade and Industry
I am steering well clear of that subject.
The significance of 1 March is that it will be the fifth anniversary of the coming into force of the Competition Act 1998. I do not believe that there are any grounds for delaying important reforms to the UK competition regime. I realise that the hon. Member for Eastbourne (Mr. Waterson) is making a point, and I accept that point. However, I have explained to the Committee the rationale for our reforms, many of which we have debated at considerable length. I therefore urge the Committee to resist the Amendment if it is put to a vote.
A parliamentary bill is divided into sections called clauses.
Printed in the margin next to each clause is a brief explanatory `side-note' giving details of what the effect of the clause will be.
During the committee stage of a bill, MPs examine these clauses in detail and may introduce new clauses of their own or table amendments to the existing clauses.
When a bill becomes an Act of Parliament, clauses become known as sections.
As a bill passes through Parliament, MPs and peers may suggest amendments - or changes - which they believe will improve the quality of the legislation.
Many hundreds of amendments are proposed by members to major bills as they pass through committee stage, report stage and third reading in both Houses of Parliament.
In the end only a handful of amendments will be incorporated into any bill.
The Speaker - or the chairman in the case of standing committees - has the power to select which amendments should be debated.
