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Revised Funding Code

My Lords, I am grateful to the Minister for that explanation of what the revised funding code is doing and where it has been revised. As I looked through the code this morning, I found it difficult to understand the amendments, but I was grateful for the assistance that I had from the noble Lord’s office. I think that I can see where the amendments are and how the code was amended. As the Minister made clear, the code has been through the Joint Committee on Statutory Instruments and the Merits Committee and has been debated in another place, although the debate was somewhat brief. I think it went through on the nod, which does not amount to much of a debate. Its predecessor was debated in this House some two years ago and seemed to have general support from my noble friend Lord Kingsland, who spoke from these Benches, and from the noble Lord, Lord Goodhart, who spoke from the Liberal Benches. I also understand that regulations will come through later in the year that, as the Minister suggested, may be a little more controversial. No doubt, we can look forward to debating them in due course. I do not think that I have anything to add, other than that I would have been grateful for an explanatory memorandum. I do not know if there was one, but I could not find one in the Printed Paper Office. All there was was the draft regulatory impact assessment of the family law proposals of March 2000, which, I imagine, predated the funding code. I would be grateful if, in future, if the department is going to send me a copy of the funding code, it would also send an explanatory memorandum that puts it in simple terms and makes it easier for me to follow what is going on. I do not have any further questions to put to the Minister, but he will, no doubt, be prepared to respond to that point and to any questions that are put to him.