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Bribery Bill [HL]

In Committee, I pointed out the value to the business community both in Hong Kong and the United States of an advisory service. I mentioned in particular that in Hong Kong the advisory service group of the Independent Commission Against Corruption has given specific advice to some 3,000 firms over a period of time since 1985, which amounts to something like three times a week. I very much welcome the Government’s Amendments 10 and 12, which have just been passed. In the absence of a draft, I expected the Minister to say that the guidance that was to be issued by the Government was to be broad principles. However, I think that I detected in what he said that there was to be specific advice to specific organisations. The Minister is shaking his head, so perhaps I did not quite hear properly. I am sure noble Lords will agree that it was not too easy to follow every word that the Minister said on that occasion. But if that is not the case, it is right for me to pursue this amendment. A company with a problem—for example, one with legitimate promotional expenditure—should have a government department or unit, probably within the business ministry, to which it could go for advice. It would not bind what it was doing or the prosecutorial authorities if it overstepped the mark, but at least it would bring certainty. I was encouraged when I read the parliamentary briefing of the CBI today, which welcomed my amendment as creating, ""a procedure that will add considerably to the authoritative nature of the guidance and therefore assist in giving business the certainty that it seeks in the way the offences will operate in practice"."