Legislative and Regulatory Reform Bill

New clause 19 will outline the focus of the Bill on better regulation purposes. Our subject matter is sensitive, because it not just about what the Government of the day might want; it also takes us into the realm of the relationship between Government and Parliament, and Parliament’s proper role in the scrutiny and approval of Government proposals in this sphere. In that respect, I thank the Chairs of the relevant Select Committees which produced reports on the Bill; they have contributed positively and constructively to the amendments. The heart of what we are discussing is new clause 19 and the amendments related to it. Fears were raised that whatever my hon. Friend the Member for East Renfrewshire said, the Bill might be used not for the purposes of better regulation but to change fundamental rights and freedoms through secondary legislation.