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Equality Bill [Lords]

There is no point in the hon. Gentleman continuing to ask me questions, because I am not the Minister. I want to move on, because we have taken up a lot of time on this and there are many equally important matters still to be debated. Amendment No. 42, which stands in my name and those of my hon. Friends, relates to the way in which the new commission will be held accountable for the spending of taxpayers’ money. I brought that up many times on Second Reading and in Committee. The Minister and the hon. Member for Romsey are smiling because they have heard me make this argument so often, but I make no apology for repeating it. The cost of the new commission and the work that it undertakes will be very much greater than the cost of the three bodies that it replaces. I am very worried about that. Of course, I accept that as we are widening the scope of the work done by the existing three bodies, excellent as they are, the new operation will cost more than the current one. That is correct. However, there is a difference between more and an enormous amount more—indeed, multiplied several times over. The Minister has given me many answers on that point in our previous deliberations but none has satisfied me.