Member

I am acutely aware that I have been in Parliament for over 30 years and am well aware that Governments of all persuasions hate amendments that provide lists of things to be included. I am well aware that the Minister is about to stand up and say why he objects to a list. However, on this occasion, I hope that the Minister will be acutely conscious before he does that of a problem that he would face in so doing. That is because Part 9 of the Enterprise Act 2002 can be used to restrict the disclosure of vital safety information by a public body in the exercise of its statutory function, unless the information has previously been made public. However, the Bill makes it explicit that the disclosure of information would constitute the exercise of a statutory function. This means that, at least for the bodies listed, the Enterprise Act cannot be used to limit important information-sharing. If my list is included, the items do not fall foul of Part 9, brought in some years after 2002. So there is real value in including the list that my noble friend’s amendment has proposed. It is one occasion, therefore, where naming as many relevant bodies as possible will help to achieve the Bill’s aims. I hope it will not be lightly dismissed by the Minister.