Serious Crime Bill [HL]

I speak to Amendment No. 114A which stands in my name and that of my noble friend Lord Dholakia. We believe that it is extremely important for the Information Commissioner to be consulted on these matters and that they are agreed with her or him. The Government have acknowledged that. At Second Reading, the noble Baroness, Lady Scotland, explained that the existing national fraud initiative, "““operates to a code of practice, on which the Information Commissioner has been consulted, and that will continue to be the case””." She stated: "““working with the Information Commissioner, we will be seeking to ensure that the arrangements are transparent and command public confidence, are proportionate and are subject to periodic review””.—[Official Report, 7/2/07; col. 732.]" We believe that this very important role for the Information Commissioner should be a statutory requirement and should be on the face of the Bill.