[Sir Nicholas Winterton in the Chair]

From the Chair, I welcome all those Members who are in the House of Commons. I congratulate those who have come some distance—there are one or two here, including myself—and have managed to cope with the severe weather, particularly on Sunday evening.

Today, we begin the meat of a Public Bill Committee, going through the Bill clause by clause, line by line and, almost, word by word. We start with clause 1, properly and inevitably.