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European Union (Amendment) Bill

This has been a very useful area of debate on the Bill. It has certainly been wide-ranging. The noble Lord, Lord Hannay, challenged the relevance of some of the contributions, but that is surely the point. If the changes in decision-making do not improve the operation of the CAP, noble Lords are right to point this out. It is interesting that the Minister has adopted a wait-and-see—a sort of hope-over-experience— policy. My noble friend Lord Lamont had it right. This issue stretches right across our relationship here, in this Westminster Parliament, with European institutions. It is interesting that, in our discussion about a subject on which there is a large degree of consensus in the Committee, I have not heard a single noble Lord say that the common agricultural policy is underregulated. I have not heard a single noble Lord say that it is spending too little. We are all agreed that it desperately needs reform. When I asked about the role of this House and the debate that we might have on the health check, I got, quite rightly, a technically correct answer. However, when the Lord President introduced the Bill at Second Reading, she mentioned—I am sure that I did not mishear—that the role of national parliaments would be enhanced through the operation of this treaty. I hope that I am correct in that. If that is the case, why is it that we find ourselves unable to have much influence over this important area of policy? That is why these amendments are important. The Westminster Parliament, both this House and the other place, has a role to play. I ask the Minister: what is the role of this House and the other place in CAP reform? Perhaps he might answer that question before I determine the future of my amendments.