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Bribery Bill [HL]

My Lords, I express a degree of sympathy for the noble Lord’s amendment. There is something in this, although whether it needs to be in the Bill is another matter. As the noble Lord introduced his amendment the noble Lord, Lord Clinton-Davis, asked why a company could not go to the department as it is at the moment. However, as we all recognise, the problem is knowing how to go to the department and what telephone number to call. As the noble Lord, Lord Thomas, said, one would be sent from pillar to post—we all know that experience of certain Governments. I rather recommend the approach that the noble Lord is putting forward of some body within the department, whatever the appropriate department is, rather than a more expensive stand-alone body that would not have our support. I have one brief question for the Minister and I should be grateful for an answer. The noble Lord, Lord Thomas, said that he did not think that the Serious Fraud Office, as a prosecuting authority, was an appropriate body to be offering advice, but my understanding is that it already offers some advice and has been running a programme of engagement with corporate bodies to encourage the self-reporting of past misdemeanours. I understand that the SFO offers this as part of the advice for businesses on how to approach it. Could that service be expanded into a general body or do the Government, like the noble Lord, Lord Thomas, feel that that would not be appropriate? I should be grateful if the Minister could address that point.