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Serious Crime Bill [HL]

Is the way in which the Bill will work as explained this afternoon compatible with the protection of offenders legislation? Surely the fact that an order has been given will imply previous offences. It will therefore have just as much effect as announcing that the individual, who may be seeking high office in a company, has a criminal record, in which case he would not be allowed to serve. But we are not allowed to do that. Not even the Stock Exchange Council is allowed to indicate to shareholders the criminal record of someone seeking appointment as chairman. However, someone in that position could be subject to one of these orders. But by that time it would be too late to take redress because the offence would already have occurred. There is a real problem here. There was a case 20 years ago in which it emerged that a man had run bordellos when he was younger. He later became a more ambitious businessman and went on to become chairman of a public company from which he took £385 million. It would have been much more useful to be allowed to name his previous offences than to bring an order against him.