Offender Management Bill

moved Amendment No. 97: 97: Clause 12, page 8, line 29, leave out ““4”” andinsert ““4(2)(a)”” The noble Lord said: We have a number of amendments relating to Clause 12. In addition to the two amendments I have tabled with the noble Lord, Lord Judd, which are largely textual, we have tabled the Question whether Clause 12 shall stand part. Then there is Amendment No. 99, in the name of the noble Baroness, Lady Anelay, which contains a new clause for new procedures. I am in some difficulty over the order of these. We have spent considerable time today debating Clause 4 and all its problems, and the need to have clearly stated what the real probation issues are that should stay firmly in the hands of the public sector. We have been through all that, and we have reached a considerable consensus about which items are likely to be put out to tender after three years, which might be tendered in the future and which might be tendered immediately. I hope that, in the spirit of concession that we have just heard over the previous clause, the Minister will take away what has been said today on the whole issue of Clause 4, which we could then perhaps debate in more detail on Report—in which case I suggest that Amendments Nos. 97 and 98 should be taken in the context of Clause 4 as a whole. Therefore, although we have it down that the Secretary of State may repeal, that also ought to be considered in great detail when we discuss the issue of Clause 4 itself. That is a somewhat draconian measure, which is why I suggested that the Bill should not provide that the Secretary of State should be able, by order, to eliminate or change something that has had the full and undivided attention of this Committee for several minutes, almost hours, this afternoon. I stand by my recommendation, but I suspect it is too late to start debating the very important amendment in the name of the noble Baroness, Lady Anelay, and am fully conscious that we should reserve the rest of the Clause 12 discussion until we resume next Monday. I beg to move.