§ Sir Robin Maxwell-HyslopTo ask the Lord President of the Council whether he will set a timetable for privatising the drafting of Government Bills and statutory instruments with the remit(a) that the draft shall state on its face what it does, without reference save in appendices, to existing legislation, (b) that it shall wherever possible employ comprehensible English terminology and grammar, (c) that it shall avoid ambiguity and alternative possible constructions and (d) that such drafts of statutory instruments unamendable by Parliament shall undergo special scrutiny before being laid before Parliament; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. MacGregorThere are no plans to set such a timetable. Privatisation is not necessary to achieve the objectives detailed at(b) and (c) of my hon. Friend's question. As to (a), reference to existing legislation is in some contexts unavoidable, and as to (d) I believe that the Joint Committee on Statutory Instruments already performs an effective service for both Houses.