ENFORCEMENT (Hansard, 13 June 2003)

§ Mr. Chope
I beg to move amendment No. 62, in page 8, line 15, leave out subsection (3).

§ Mr. Deputy Speaker
With this, it will be convenient to take Government amendment No. 2.

§ Mr. Chope
This is a probing amendment, because this is the first chance that any hon. Member has had to find out what subsection (3) is about and why the Minister wants to keep it in the Bill. That is why I tabled the amendment and I look forward to hearing her response.

§ Miss Melanie Johnson
I believe that I can help the hon. Gentleman considerably. The amendment would 984 remove the limit or, the disclosure of information under the fireworks regulations. The limit makes sense. It is imposed under the Enterprise Act 2002 and it means that only relevant parties will have access to certain information gained in relation to activities carried out under the Fireworks Bill and the subsequent regulations. It could be commercially damaging if anybody was able to demand that information be disclosed to him or her, and that is why the limitation is in place.

§ Mr. Chope
I thought that I would be easily satisfied, but the Minister is introducing a secrecy clause to prevent people from gaining access to information.

§ Miss Johnson
Obviously, freedom of information legislation covers various aspects of disclosure, but the limit refers to information that might he commercially damaging, as I mentioned.

§ Mr. Chope
Can the Minister assure the House that the limit will be used only to withhold information that would be commercially damaging?

§ Miss Johnson
I believe that that is its principal purpose. I am not sure that I can give the hon. Gentleman a cast-iron guarantee, but I can give him as close to it as I can get that it is my belief that the limit covers only commercial information. I am happy to write to the hon. Gentleman further on the issue, if that would be helpful.

§ Mr. Chope
Indeed, it would, and I am grateful to the Minister for that response. I hope that the letter she sends me will make it clear that the limit will be restricted to commercial considerations. The Minister has an amendment in the same group—

§ Mr. Deputy Speaker
Order. The hon. Gentleman must advise me whether he wishes to withdraw his amendment, before I invite the Minister to put her amendment formally.

§ Mr. Chope
I thought that that Minister had not yet introduced her amendment.

§ Mr. Deputy Speaker
That was done as part of her earlier contribution. The amendment has yet to be made formally. I need to know first whether the hon. Gentleman intends to proceed with his amendment.

§ Mr. Chope
No, I beg to ask leave to withdraw the amendment.