§ Ms LynneTo ask the President of the Board of Trade on what occasions since April 1992 Ministers from his Department have(a) requested parliamentary counsel to assist in preparing amendments to private Members' Bills on behalf of other private Members and (b) authorised officials to instruct parliamentary counsel to prepare amendments which were subsequently passed to private Members.
§ Mr. HeseltineParliamentary counsel drafts not on behalf of private Members but on the instructions of Departments acting on the authority of Ministers.
On no occasions since April 1992 have amendments been drafted by parliamentary counsel on instructions from DTI and subsequently passed to private Members.