Member

We know that there are businesses up and down the country, particularly SMEs and sole traders, which are desperate for clarity; points were made on that by my noble friend Lady Noakes and the noble Lords, Lord Londesborough and Lord Stoneham, among others. They want to comply, but they are struggling to keep up with the complex obligations and shifting rules. The Bill without our amendments leaves them in the dark. It opens the door to enforcement that is heavy-handed, inconsistent and insulated from challenge. If I may be so bold as to re-ask my noble friend Lady Noakes’s question: what protections are built into this for SMEs and those who will struggle under the administrative burden?