Member

Finally, Amendment 149A raises an issue on which we have touched several times in the course of our debates: the sheer extent of the regulatory power conferred by this Bill. We are dealing here with a framework that will rely heavily on secondary legislation, so it is right that we think carefully about oversight. This amendment would help to ensure that discretions exercised by the Secretary of State are transparent to Parliament and the public, and that the sub-delegation of powers does not occur without proper authorisation. It would protect parliamentary scrutiny, prevent regulations being exercised in opaque ways and respond to long-standing concerns around the use of broad Henry VIII powers in health and product regulation statutes.