§ Ms LynneTo ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage 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. SproatParliamentary counsel does not draft amendments on behalf of private Members but on the instructions of Departments acting on the authority of Ministers. On that authority, amendments were drafted by parliamentary counsel on instructions from my Department and subsequently made available following the Government's decision to support Lord Perth's Treasure Bill.