Member

If we accepted the proposal by the noble Lord, Lord Udny-Lister, or, indeed, the noble Lord, Lord Murray, what would be the impact? Let us look at the figure of 500 from the noble Lord, Lord Udny-Lister. Only 4% of premises would now be within scope of the Bill, as specified in Schedule 1, across the UK, in that standard tier. Does the noble Lord believe that only 4% of premises should be covered by the Bill? I ask him this genuinely. Had he done the calculations when he put forward the figure of 500? Does he believe that 4% is a reasonable figure? I say to the House that I do not. I understand that his is an honest opinion and view, which he has put forward in a constructive way, but I cannot accept it, because I do not want to see 4% of premises in the retail, hospitality and community group sector covered by the Bill; I want to see a greater percentage.