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Banking Bill

My Lords, the amendment standing in the name of my noble friend relates to Clause 10, which provides for the Banking Liaison Panel and has proven to be one of the more appreciated clauses in this Bill. With this amendment, we return to matters relating to Clause 75, which it is fair to say has occasioned some degree of controversy and which has been rather less well received by the House thus far. We have come a long way with this debate. I believe that the Government have made the case for the power to change the law and for the particular aspect of the retrospective dimension contained in the clause, which I know causes anxiety in the House. I appreciate that concerns remain, but I hope and believe that we are reaching a point of consensus on this important clause. I do not intend at this point to delve into the substance of Clause 75. I think that arises from the important amendments in the name of the noble Lord, Lord Goodlad, and the other noble Lords who support him. The reason why I am speaking first in this important debate, which largely revolves around the amendments in the noble Lord’s name, is simply because we have a technical government amendment at the start of the group. I shall reserve my arguments on the substantive issues until the noble Lord, Lord Goodlad, and those who support him have had the chance to deploy their case and their anxieties about the Government’s position, which I shall of course respond to and hope to allay, while moving a technical amendment which is likely to occasion very little controversy. I hope, in due course, that the House will see fit to support the amendment. Meanwhile, the major debate will take place on the amendment to which the noble Lord, Lord Goodlad, will speak.