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Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Bill [Lords]

The hon. Gentleman would be expected to know how to pronounce Kazakhstan, even if he does not know its capital or how to spell it. The amendment would add another defence safety net. ““Intent”” has a basis in law for prosecution. As the hon. Gentleman knows as a lawyer himself, if the offence depends on intent, the law is clear on what is expected to prove it. The amendment would beef up the defence provisions for someone who unwittingly breaches clause 7. It should be a defence to prove that one did not know or could not reasonably be expected to know, or that one had no intent of seeking or offering to engage, or of engaging, in the activity. Clause 7 is a fundamentally important clause in a fundamentally complicated and complex Bill. I fear that it could be undermined by scooping up in its broad net many people who do not intend to fall foul of it. On that basis, I shall seek leave to divide the House on amendment No. 201, whenever we reach that point.