Member

I do not know whether the noble Baroness was serious in her comments or trying to assure your Lordships that the Government were listening—or was even, in the vernacular, “having a laugh”. She said that His Majesty’s Government have consulted 75 SMEs. Has she any idea how many SMEs there are in the UK? If not, I can assist her. There are some 5.5 million. I do not know which 75 SMEs she consulted—perhaps a random, or very selective, group. Every SME I have spoken to has many objections to the Bill. In fact, I have not spoken to one that is happy with the Bill, in part or in whole.