Compensation Bill [HL]

moved Amendment No. 57:"Page 4, line 13, leave out sub-paragraph (i)." The noble Lord said: In moving Amendment No. 57, it may be for the convenience of the Committee if we deal also with Amendments Nos. 58 to 61 and 71 to 75. This battery of amendments seeks to omit references to the possibility of imprisonment on conviction for an offence under the Bill. The reason for proposing the amendments is to explore with the Government whether this regime is intended to have an effect on claims management companies as corporate entities or on the individuals who run them; and, if it is the latter, who is the individual to be imprisoned when an offence has been committed. My preference would be to see some sort of ““approved person”” regime similar to that imposed by the Financial Services Authority. Virtually all those operating in this sector are companies and there is likely to be a real difficulty in identifying individual offenders or controlling minds. The Government should give these provisions real teeth by creating a regime that will bite on individuals, not least because there is already a history of individual operators creating and dissolving a number of different service vehicles and moving on before their collars are felt. I have referred before to bringing everyone up to the right standard and not down to the minimum standard. The FSA model encourages personal responsibility and accountability, which is what this sector needs. I hope the Minister will be able to clarify the position. I beg to move.