Tribunals, Courts and Enforcement Bill [HL]

My legal advice originally was that the way in which the Bill was drafted meant that it covered other people being able to sign if the bailiff arrived and there was another adult present. Since the noble Lord has raised the question, I have looked at it again because it does not look as if the Bill does that. I want to look at how to deal with that in regulations. There are two issues for which I do not yet have an answer. First, there is the bailiff’s relationship to the person he finds on the premises and the criteria that need to be considered. A critical factor is that it has to be an adult, not a minor, which raises other issues such as withdrawing from the premises. Secondly, the debtor would have to give the other person permission to sign. What would the logistics of that be? I will take that point away to consider properly and write to Members of the Committee who have participated in the debate. It is an interesting area. In principle, I do not wish people to lose things when there is someone else on the premises who can sign where that is appropriate. I have to safeguard the debtor from someone signing on their behalf in an inappropriate way. We need to think through what has to be done to address that. I hope that that will give the noble Lord comfort.