Member

Amendment 48, tabled by my noble friend Lord Liddle, seeks to confirm that the Bill does not interfere with any of the Secretary of State’s existing contractual rights to terminate franchises. I reassure my noble friend that the Bill does not interfere with those rights; I do not believe that anything in the Bill can be construed as doing so. In those circumstances, it would not be appropriate to include an express statement in the legislation. I am advised that it would be poor drafting practice to include provisions in legislation that are legally unnecessary. Doing so can cause difficulties in interpreting the meaning of legislation, because the courts will attempt to give legal significance to every provision of an Act.