---

Fraud Bill [HL]

moved Amendment No. 17:"Page 2, line 32, after ““action”” insert ““, confidential information””" The noble Lord said: This is a full-blown probing amendment about the topic of confidential information. Information, particularly confidential information, is often a valuable commodity, and is sometimes treated by   the law as a kind of property, but its peculiar characteristics make it difficult to regard it as property in   the strict sense. It has been held that a dishonest obtaining of confidential information is not theft. We would like to probe the Government’s thinking on not including it in the Bill. I do not often cite the CPS in support of any proposition I make in these circumstances, but it stated that,"““the opportunity should be taken to extend the meaning to include confidential information and intangibles””." I beg to move.