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Equality Bill [HL]

I have two amendments down to this clause—Amendments Nos. 61 and 62. I think that it would be for the convenience of the Committee—and brevity would be the reward—if I were just to deal with the points which have been raised by my noble friend on the Front Bench. Those two amendments would then fall into place very easily in what I have to say. I would like to start by saying that I thought in the speech which my noble friend Lady Miller made from the Front Bench she made the point with eloquence, conviction and force. I very much hope that the noble Baroness on the government Front Bench will take this point really seriously. First, so far as concerns commissions, it is no exaggeration to say that the landscape is literally littered with them now. We have too many of them and there is no way in which Parliament or Ministers have effective control of them. I could give a number of instances in which powers have been given and powers have been abused. Therefore, I am fearful of going down that way again. I just want to say this to the noble Baroness: commissions are not made in heaven, they are human and they are fallible and we have no business to assume that they will be otherwise. Secondly, we have a deplorable modern habit in this country now—and your Lordships’ House has been one of the victims—of sprinkling cosmetic words all over Bills without necessarily adding to the meaning by one ounce. In fact, I strongly suspect that some of the words that are to be found in this particular clause, and in its paragraphs, are really sprinkled there by the authors of the Bill to glorify themselves and to say what fine people they are rather than to do anything to help those who are meant to be the beneficiaries of the Bill. I think this kind of cosmetic is quite intolerable and I very much hope that the Government will pay attention to the words of my noble friend, to which I see the noble Baroness has no answer possibly except that she will take this away and think deeply upon it. Otherwise I very much hope that on Report there will be further and much more warlike activity than there has been today.