Member

Government Amendment 56 is a technical amendment linked with Amendment 359. Following engagement with the Scottish and Welsh Governments, we are amending the Bill so that when the new regime is commenced the existing regime will cease to operate. On introduction, the new regime would have taken precedence over the old once regulations were made by the devolved Governments. At that point, the UK Government would have had the power to switch off the existing regime. Taken together, government Amendments 56 and 359 mean that the existing regime will not require UK Government intervention to switch it off. Instead, the existing regime will come to a close automatically when the new regulations are made. We are grateful for the continuing constructive working relationship that we have had with both the Scottish and Welsh Governments on this clause. The amendments are technical in nature, made in the interests of ensuring that the devolved Administrations are content with a provision that requires their consent, and I hope they will be accepted by the House.