§ Mr. AllenTo ask the Leader of the House what steps he is taking to ensure that all Bills will undergo pre-legislative scrutiny. [124976]
§ Mr. HainThe Government have never proposed that it would be possible to make all bills available for pre-legislative scrutiny. Some nine Bills will be published this session for pre-legislative scrutiny, a considerable190W increase on last session. I hope that we will be in a position to publish a similar number or more during the course of next session.
§ Mr. AllenTo ask the Leader of the House what progress he has made in enabling pre-legislative scrutiny to be carried out on-line. [124977]
§ Mr. HainWhether to carry out pre-legislative scrutiny on-line is a matter for decision by the Committee concerned, and the provision of facilities and funding for it are a matter for the House authorities. The Joint Committee on the draft Communications Bill found its on-line for um extremely useful, and I hope that other Committees will also choose to make use of the opportunities which Information Technology provides. I welcome work being done by the Committee Office to identify and promote good practice in this area.