HL Deb 26 July 2000 vol 616 cc449-50

8 Clause 8, page 5 line 21, at end insert—

("(4) The rights of access conferred by subsection (1) shall not be exercisable in relation to any document relating primarily to accounts which—

  1. (a) are subject to audit by the Auditor General for Scotland or the Auditor General for Wales, and are not also subject to audit by the Comptroller and Auditor General, or
  2. (b) are subject to audit under section 2 of the Audit Commission Act 1998 or section 97 of the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973 and do not relate to a body specified in section 98(1) of the National Health Service Act 1977.

(5) In this section "relevant non-departmental public body" means a non-departmental public body which is one for which the department whose accounts are undergoing examination is responsible; and for this purpose "non-departmental public body" means a body—

  1. (a) which is not a government department or comprised within a government department,
  2. (b) which exercises public functions of a governmental nature which might otherwise fall to be exercised by central government, and
  3. (c) an officer of which has been designated by a government department as its accounting officer in respect of the preparation of its accounts.")

The Commons disagreed to this amendment for the following reason—

8A Because it would alter the financial accounting and audit arrangements made by the Commons, and the Commons do not offer any further reason, trusting that the above reason may be deemed sufficient.

Lord McIntosh of Haringey

My Lords, I beg to move that the House do not insist on their Amendment No. 8 to which the Commons have disagreed for the reason numbered 8A.

Moved, That the House do not insist on their Amendment No. 8 to which the Commons have disagreed for the reason numbered 8A.—(Lord McIntosh of Haringey.)

On Question, Motion agreed to.