---

Fraud Bill [HL]

I am assured by those who attended the meeting, in the presence of the present Lord Chief Justice, the noble and learned Lord, Lord Woolf, that they were clear about their views. I shall ensure that I can present to the noble and learned Lord a record of that opposition. I do not have a written statement. I have raised this question specifically because I attach great importance to it. I attach importance to anything that the Rose committee comments upon, and I attach importance to its views on this. Let me identify one or two other comments. I hope that noble Lords will see the wisdom of what is said. The Law Society supported retention, as did the Confederation of British Industry, the NHS Counter Fraud and Security Management Service, the British Bankers’ Association, the Local Authorities Co-ordinators of Regulatory Services, and the Association for Payment Clearing Services. The British Retail Consortium stated:"““We feel it would be useful to retain conspiracy to defraud to ensure that new frauds, developed through new business methods, IT developments or other circumstances, which may not fall within the new act, could still be prosecuted and to act as a longstop should legal judgements make any of the proposed offences ineffective””."