Member

In my view, what the Government must not do is obtain the power first and decide what to do afterwards. That would be constitutionally outrageous. I therefore ask the Minister: why do the Government require powers of this breadth before the policy is settled? Why can they not return to Parliament once the consultation has concluded with a new Bill that both Houses can examine properly? What limits will apply to these powers, and what meaningful opportunity will Parliament have to scrutinise their use? We need a good answer on these questions and the others that the forensic noble Lord, Lord Vaux, set out. This is a very serious matter, and I will be listening carefully to the response from the Minister. I strongly urge him to reconsider his approach, which risks entrenching a deeply damaging precedent to parliamentary oversight and will prove unpopular in this Committee.