---

Bradford and Bingley plc Compensation Scheme (Amendment) Order 2009

Will the Minister return to the issue of not commenting on from whom information is not obtained? When he introduced the orders, he said that they would make an order if the valuer made a reasonable case for the information to be obtained. Is the Minister saying that the Government will not share with Parliament what that reasonable case is based on? Once an order is granted, presumably this could end up in court and it would be plain and evident in any event. I referred in my own remarks to the auditors and to one or more potential purchasers of Northern Rock, on which I understood—though from memory, so I cannot quote chapter and verse—that the Minister informed the House during the passage of the Banking Bill. I am just a little concerned about what this secrecy is all about, because it is not enough for the valuer to say, "I want to get information at will". The Government rightly referred to the fact that that request had to be reasonable. Therefore, they should be prepared to share with the House the nature of that request made to them.