Regulatory Enforcement and Sanctions Bill [HL]

moved Amendment No. 163A: 163A: Clause 61, page 27, line 13, leave out paragraph (a) and insert— ““(a) the Minister of the Crown and the Welsh Ministers must publish guidance about the use of the sanction”” The noble Lord said: I shall speak also to Amendments Nos. 163B to 163D. This group of amendments was originally drafted by LACORS and focuses the requirement to issue guidance about the use of civil sanctions on the Minister with responsibility rather than on the various local authorities as is proposed in the Bill. These amendments are crucial to the removal of bureaucracy and inconsistencies from the proposed system. They would ensure that national guidance regarding the appropriate use of civil sanctions is issued by Ministers with responsibility for legislation and not by every regulator and every local authority. A requirement for every local authority and every national regulator to issue its own guidance about the use of civil sanctions under the same legislation is unnecessary and would lead to inconsistency and misunderstanding. The amendments focus the requirement on the government departments, so there would be a single set of national guidance on how civil sanctions should be used for specific legislation. This would reduce costs for local authorities, assist regulated persons and entities, particularly multi-site businesses, and help ensure consistency in approach. It would help the Bill achieve one of its stated aims, which we have, again and again, seen left by the wayside on our journey through Committee. I beg to move.