Regulatory Enforcement and Sanctions Bill [HL]

We on these Benches support the amendments tabled by my noble friend Lord Selsdon to include in this Bill the provisions of his Private Member’s Bill, the Powers of Entry etc. Bill 2007. When she spoke at that Bill’s Second Reading, my noble friend Lady Hanham said that it was alarming that such a Bill had not been produced before, and that it had to come from a Member of the House rather than from the Government. The amendments before us bring together all the legislation under which various government departments can require or force entry to private or commercial premises. As my noble friend has said, these amendments testify to more than 100 Acts of Parliament which allow officials from various departments and agencies to demand entry to premises. I particularly want to support Amendments Nos. 103H and 103J. My noble friend Lord Hodgson referred to the information gateway, and I agree with him that this is one of those wonderful new things that is creeping insidiously into our daily lives. Too much information is being exchanged too easily. For that matter, too many regulatory bodies and, indeed, far too many Acts of Parliament provide powers of entry. The dangerous consequence of all this is that in the muddle and complexity of it, holding the Government to account becomes far more difficult, so transgressions that affect business, the consumer and the regulator alike can occur.