Compensation Bill [Lords]

I have covered the point that my hon. Friend made in his speech. The hon. Member for Rugby and Kenilworth (Jeremy Wright) raised the need for a good communications strategy. The Government recognise that. There is a ministerial working group, together with a stakeholder group, which is developing that communication strategy with the idea of using champions in the volunteering sector. Volunteering England is involved. There will be that communications strategy in relation to part 1. I am grateful that colleagues have endorsed the usefulness of clause 2 and the benefits that it will bring. I can assure the House that we have no intention of removing or amending that clause in any detrimental way. On the point made by my hon. Friend the Member for Sittingbourne and Sheppey (Derek Wyatt), I am assured that clause 1 will apply to volunteers working during the Olympics. All Members welcomed part 2. The only dissenting voice that I could hear was from the Opposition Front Bench in relation to the exemption for trade unions. I reiterate that trade unions will be subject to a code of conduct, and that if they are found to be acting like claims handlers, their exemption will be removed and they will be subject to the same regulation as a claims handler. In relation to the abuses of the coal health scheme, as chairman of the coal health monitoring group in Wales, may I reiterate the call of my predecessor that the parasites living off the back of what is undoubtedly the biggest industrial claims scheme ever—we have paid out £3 billion to miners and their relatives—should return all the fees that they have claimed from the claimants? I am sure that there will be further, and perhaps lengthy and interesting, discussion in Committee on the provisions in the Bill. I commend the Bill to the House. Question put and agreed to. Bill accordingly read a Second time.