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Company Law Reform Bill [HL]

My answer can be summarised by saying that it all depends which particular onion you are talking about in this context. The point here is that Schedule 4 to the Bill contains amendments to the Companies Act 1985 to clarify the wording of the offences in that Act. The amendment would move the provisions set out in paragraphs 32 and 33 of Schedule 4 to the Bill into Schedule 3. That would ensure that all the amendments made to Part 13A of the Companies Act 1985 were set out in one place in the Bill. Currently all amendments relating to offences in the 1985 Act are set out separately in Schedule 4. I consider that there are good reasons for maintaining all the amendments to offences in the 1985 Act together in Schedule 4. Schedule 4 to the Bill provides a comprehensive list of amendments to the offences in the 1985 Act which remain. All such amendments can thus be seen in Schedule 4, and therefore I am not convinced that the noble Lord’s amendments are helpful.