§ 3.24 p.m.
§ The Minister of State, Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (Lord Rooker):My Lords, I beg to move the Motion standing in my name on the Order Paper.
Perhaps I can try and pre-empt the question of the noble Lord, Lord Renton. The Government are proposing this order for the sake of convenience. Since the Bill left the other place, and following discussions, we have announced considerable concessions such as the introduction of a tenancy deposit scheme. It will take time for parliamentary counsel to draft that provision. As the Bill will start its passage in this House next week but not finish its Committee stage until September or October, the Bill will have to be reordered. It is therefore convenient to consider the Bill in the proposed order and not to wait on parliamentary counsel to draft the provisions to which we have committed ourselves.
Moved, That it be an instruction to the Committee of the Whole House to which the Housing Bill has been committed that they consider the Bill in the following order:
| Clauses 1 to 17, |
| Schedule 1, |
| Clauses 18 to 26, |
| Schedule 2, |
| Clauses 27 to 30, |
| Schedule 3, |
| Clauses 31 to 54, |
| Clause 217, |
| Schedule 11, |
| Clauses 218 to 222, |
| Clauses 55 to 66, |
| Schedule 4, |
| Clauses 67 to 70, |
| Schedule 5, |
| Clauses 71 to 115, |
| Schedule 6, |
| Clauses 116 to 148, |
| Schedule 7, |
| Clauses 149 to 155, |
| Clauses 157 to 167, |
| Clauses 172 to 182, |
| Clause 156, |
| Clauses 168 to 171, |
| Clauses 183 to 188, |
| Schedule 8, |
| Clauses 189 to 193, |
| Schedule 9, |
| Clause 194, |
| Schedule 10, |
| Clauses 195 to 216, |
| Clauses 223 to 226, |
| Schedule 12, |
| Clause 227, |
| Schedule 13, |
| Clauses 228 to 231.—(Lord Rooker.) |
Lord Renton:My Lords, I thank the noble Lord for his explanation. However, taking clauses and schedules out of the order in which they appear in the Bill nearly always creates some confusion. It is much easier to take them in the order in which they appear in the Bill.
§ Lord Rooker:My Lords, it may be easier, but it is difficult to have proper scrutiny if the content of the clause is not in place when one reaches that point in the Bill. I pay tribute to the noble Lord's work on the conduct and proper design of legislation in the other place and his report of some 30 years ago, and I look forward to his contribution to our debates next week on the matters that we will have ready for debate. However, for good reasons which we have agreed across the House and with the other place, we will not be ready to deal with the concessions that we announced since the other place finished its consideration of the Bill.
§ On Question, Motion agreed to.