Regulatory Enforcement and Sanctions Bill [HL]

I am grateful to the Minister. I assure the noble Lord, Lord Desai, that I do not believe economic progress flows from the code or from this Bill. Economic progress flows from men and women who wish to pursue entrepreneurial activities and to develop ideas, approaches and businesses; and they are to be applauded. All I am saying is that this code should operate, and the LBRO should relate to the local authority, in such a way that the local authority does not inhibit those activities. Without adding a discordant note, in the last 25 or 30 years we have seen that some local authorities have not wished to develop an economic model in tune with that of the rest of the country. We have only to think back to some of the things that went on in the 1970s to know that was the case. It is not beyond the bounds of possibility that such a situation might arise again. Somewhere in this Bill an awareness of the importance of economic progress and the economic prosperity of this country needs to be placed on someone’s shoulders to ensure that we are not just putting another burden on entrepreneurs, businessmen, shopkeepers and the people who engage in commercial activity, as that would slow down the development of the United Kingdom. We need to do this in the name of more proportionate, light-touch regulation. Although I shall, of course, withdraw the amendment, I feel more strongly about this than I do the previous amendment, on which the noble Baroness, Lady Turner of Camden, smacked me down so rapidly. This is an issue to which I shall wish to return but in the mean time I beg leave to withdraw the amendment. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn.