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Bribery Bill [HL]

My Lords, I join other noble Lords in thanking the Government for bringing forward this concession. They were quite right so to do after our debate on this matter in Grand Committee. Going back further, I think that it was at Second Reading that the Minister, the noble Lord, Lord Bach, said that there was a need for guidance "well in advance" of the Bill coming into force. The noble Lord, Lord Tunnicliffe, gave an assurance in Grand Committee that the Government would produce, ""a revised statement of the things that will be going into that statutory guidance".—[Official Report, 7/1/10; col. GC56.]" I interpreted that as being a draft of a draft. It is obviously too late to see something before the Bill completes its passage through this House, but while it is in another place the Government might think it appropriate to produce something, even if it is only what I described as the draft of a draft. I think that I heard the Minister correctly when he said how important it is to consult, but, again, I would be grateful for an appropriate assurance that, before publishing the final guidance, rather than the draft of a draft, the Government will consult fully all the appropriate businesses or even, as the Minister put it, all stakeholders. Having said that, I welcome what the Government have put forward.