Member

On the impact assessment, I will add a few words to what the noble Lord, Lord Howard, said. Why is there no impact assessment accompanying the Bill? One would expect the department to publish an impact assessment, which would be revised all the time to reflect changes made to the Bill during its passage. An impact assessment would be expected to deal with the regulatory burden, competition, small firms, legal aid, sustainable development, carbon emissions, environmental matters, health and well-being, human rights, justice and rural matters. There is a legal obligation on Ministers to have regard to their responsibilities under the Equality Act 2010 in relation to Bills.