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Parliament: Legislative Proposals

I am extremely grateful because, although this is not the gap, the Minister has invited me to speak. As one who served on the Joint Committee that examined the draft Human Tissue and Embryos Bill, I have come to the conclusion that pre-legislative scrutiny should be an essential part of every complex Bill. As I said on the Floor of the House, it does not replace the line-by-line, clause-by-clause examination by the House as a whole but, as my noble friend rightly said, we were able to deal with a vastly better Bill than the one that was introduced to the Joint Committee.