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Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 (Investigative Powers of Prosecutors in England, Wales and Northern Ireland: Code of Practice) Order 2008

I, too, thank the noble and learned Baroness the Attorney-General for her explanation of the order. I apologise for the fact that my noble friend Lord Thomas of Gresford is unable to be here today; he was intrigued by the delay in receiving the code but was grateful to receive it when he did. I accept that this is largely the same as the code of practice for SOCA, which was passed by both Houses earlier in the year. It is reassuring to know that the various agencies will exercise the powers of prosecution to the same standards and with the same safeguards. The noble and learned Baroness mentioned that this code was put out to public consultation in March 2008 and that no responses were received. Can she tell us how long the consultation process was and why there were no responses during that period? Apart from that point, we welcome the order.