Member

Amendment 288 calls for an impact assessment within 12 months of the Bill’s passage, which is not just sensible; it is, surely, essential. If we are serious about evidence-based policy-making, we must have mechanisms to measure what actually happens on the ground. The noble Lord, Lord Londesborough, just made the point that we still do not really understand the statistics that are currently being reported. We cannot afford to legislate blindly in sectors as economically and culturally significant as these. I am very much looking forward to hearing what the Minister has to say in response to these amendments, and I urge him to note the cross-party unanimity on this subject.