Baroness Coffey (Con)

My Lords, I am grateful to the noble and learned Lord for setting out his new Amendments 548A and 549A, recognising and being positive about the feedback on trying to put something somewhat more detailed in the Bill. I tabled Amendment 549B because aspects of Amendment 549A were starting to worry me. I appreciate that I might be in a different place to many noble Lords on this issue, but I fear that we might start to overcomplicate what is needed in the role of an independent advocate. One reason I put my amendment in is that, if you can do more than 10 a year, I am somewhat worried that this will become almost a new industry, with people undertaking roles solely on this. I am concerned about training and regulation, and I am conscious that the whole purpose of this was to address people’s concerns. The conditions set out the reasons why somebody may have an independent advocate, which happens in general life but was intended to be somewhat of a safeguard for a person applying and going to see the doctor face to face—although we have previously discussed issues to do with being face to face. But I fear that we might be somewhat complicating what the role of the independent advocate will start to become. So my amendment to Amendment 549A, Amendment 549B, seeks to get a sense of what this role really is and who will fulfil it. Amendment 549C is pretty straightforward. I do not think there was anything ill intentioned here, but the Table Office said that it did not catch the fact that, when one clause that had a provision for regulations to undergo a resolution in each House of Parliament was removed, this simply got missed out in the new amendment. I am sure that the noble and learned Lord will want to make sure that any regulations are considered by Parliament during any future legislation.