---

Regulatory Enforcement and Sanctions Bill [HL]

I oppose the amendment. It may have been tabled—I apologise if I am incorrect—to have a bit of fun at the beginning of our debates. Almost the whole Bill, perhaps with the exception of Part 4, is concerned with better regulation. The Bill sets up the Local Better Regulation Office, which will try to achieve, by way of monitoring and review, the better co-ordination of regulation that otherwise might be inconsistent from one local authority to another, for example. The Better Regulation Task Force, which has been in existence for some years, used to be called the Deregulation Task Force. However, it was realised that that was something of a misnomer, because sadly, if only the noble Baroness would recognise it, regulation is needed across a whole range of matters, whether health and safety, food standards or consumer protection, an issue that has, I know, always been close to her heart. If the amendment is not frivolous—in a way, I would prefer that it was—but is meant to be serious, much of Parts 1 to 3 of the Bill, which are concerned with making regulation better, would not have any sense. To call the LBRO the ““Deregulation Office”” would be to misname it, given its job according to the Bill.