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Proceeding contribution from Viscount Eccles (Conservative) in the House of Lords on Wednesday, 30 January 2008. It occurred during Debate on bill and Committee proceeding on Regulatory Enforcement and Sanctions Bill [HL].


Regulatory Enforcement and Sanctions Bill [HL]

I wonder if this is an appropriate place to seek some clarification. Are we also talking about individual members of the public under this fixed-penalty regime? For example, if you have a surplus fridge which you want to dispose of and someone comes to collect it, the householder has to ensure that the person who takes the fridge away is licensed to do so and will dispose of it under that licence in a proper manner. Other regulations relate to compost heaps, I think, and the disposal of waste in various ways. The reaction of members of the public to a system of fixed penalties concerns me. For example, if your tax return is late, the penalty is £100. It does not matter whether that tax return means that you owe money to the Inland Revenue or it owes you money or even that you thought that you did not have to make a return on that occasion. The penalty is £100. The public are willing, in a rather gloomy sense, to accept rough justice. The penalty is £60 if you are caught on camera going through a red light, or whatever. This discussion seems to be leading us into a much more difficult area of criteria and of varying possibilities under those criteria. It would be wise if the Government assessed the reaction of the public to different approaches to the criteria that may be used for fixed penalties.


Secondary information

Type
Proceeding contribution
Reference
698 c359GC 
Session
2007-08
Chamber / Committee
House of Lords Grand Committee
Subjects
Courts Business Civil proceedings Civil Aviation Authority Enforcement Fixed penalties Ofgem Fines Regulation Local Better Regulation Office Stop notices
Legislation
European Communities Act 1972
Regulatory Enforcement and Sanctions Bill (HL) 2007-08
Link
View this Proceeding contribution on www.publications.parliament.uk