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Regulatory Enforcement and Sanctions Bill [HL]

My Lords, before there is an unalloyed vote of praise for the Minister, I should briefly sound a discordant note. I thought that Amendments Nos. 101 and 105 were rather fine, because they would have kicked Part 4 out of the Bill. It was a late arrival, was ill consulted on, and is probably one of the most unnecessary pieces of legislation I have ever had the privilege to speak on. I predict that it will never be used; the Minister knows my views. The proposition is a sort of punishment step for regulators. The reality is that if a regulator ever got to the point where a parliamentary order would have to be approved to make it necessary for it to report on removing unnecessary burdens, not only would the chairman and the chief exec have been sacked by then, but probably most of the board as well. It is a very unnecessary part of the Bill but it is here, so we must acquiesce to some extent. By way of a small sop at this time of night, I say that government Amendments Nos. 98 to 100 are an improvement—a good darn in a bad sock.