§ 6.9 pm
§ Mr. Keith Vaz (Leicester, East)On a point of order, Mr. Deputy Speaker. As you may know, I served on the Committee considering the Bill. You may know also that, in the past few weeks, the Government have tabled 30 new clauses and amendments to it. I agree with the hon. Member for Great Grimsby (Mr. Mitchell) that some of them are acceptable and welcome. However, it is usually the Government's practice—as it was in Committee—to produce guidance notes for the benefit of right hon. and hon. Members who have not had an opportunity fully to study new clauses and amendments. Such notes would be useful to members of the Committee and to all right hon. and hon. Members as we arrive at the Report stage.
I wonder whether you, Mr. Deputy Speaker, have been informed by the Attorney-General whether such notes have been prepared and, if so, whether they have been circulated to members of the Committee.
§ Mr. Deputy Speaker (Mr. Harold Walker)The provision of guidance notes is not a matter for the Chair, but perhaps the Solicitor-General will comment when I ask him to address the House on the Ways and Means motion.
§ The Solicitor-General (Sir Nicholas Lyell)I beg to move,
That, for the purposes of any Act resulting from the Courts and Legal Services Bill [Lords], it is expedient to authorise the payment into the Consolidated Fund of any sums falling to be paid by the Authorised Conveyancing Practitioners Board by way of repayment of grants made to the Board by the Lord Chancellor.The hon. Member for Leicester, East (Mr. Vaz) is right to say that there are a large number of amendments. A high proportion of them arise in response to matters which were debated both on Second Reading and in Committee, and come forward as a result of constructive suggestions made during the course of the Committee stage. I apologise to the hon. Member if we have been unable to send him guidance notes, but I hope that the purpose of the amendments will become clear, and I am sure that he will make a constructive contribution to our debates.
§ Question put and agreed to.
§
Resolved,
That, for the purposes of any Act resulting from the Courts and Legal Services Bill [Lords], it is expedient to authorise the payment into the Consolidated Fund of any sums falling to be paid by the Authorised Conveyancing Practitioners Board by way of repayment of grants made to the Board by the Lord Chancellor.