The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Ministry of Justice (Lord Lemos) (Lab)

My Lords, I join with the noble and learned Lord, Lord Keen of Elie, in thanking all noble Lords who have worked with me over the Recess on the Bill. We can see from the number of amendments, and the careful way they have been set out, that noble Lords have put a lot of time and effort into them. I am very grateful for that and, as the noble and learned Lord said, I am grateful to take this forward. The Bill has been a long time coming and the families have been waiting for it for a long time, and I am glad we are moving at pace. I absolutely give the undertaking that the noble and learned Lord asked for: we should continue in the constructive and collaborative way that we have taken thus far. I reassure the noble Lord, Lord Young, that Clause 1 is a purpose clause and does not have any legal effect in and of itself, separate from the other provisions in the Bill. Its purpose is designed to set out the overarching intention behind the Bill and to explain how the substantive provisions of the Bill work together to achieve that intention. To that extent, the noble Lord’s first prediction was correct. As is often the case with purpose clauses, it provides context for the Bill as a whole. The legal rights, duties and obligations created by the Bill are found in its operative provisions, not in Clause 1 itself. In this context, acting in the public interest really means fulfilling the obligations and duties contained in the remainder of the Bill and those that arise from it; I hope that addresses the specific point that the noble and learned Lord, Lord Keen, put to me. It means being candid and transparent at inquiries and investigations. There was much speculation about various hypotheses in the comments of the noble Lord, Lord Young, but we are quite clear about the specific context in which this Bill will apply. We are ensuring that those working for public authorities adhere to the codes of ethics required by the Bill, and we shall return to that later in Committee. The Government therefore consider that the existing drafting already achieves the intended objective of the clause. The purpose clause provides a clear description of the principles that underpin the Bill, while leaving the substantive provisions to give effect to those principles, including with reference to the public interest.