Criminal Justice and Immigration Bill

moved Amendment No. 43: 43: Clause 4, page 3, line 25, leave out subsection (3) The noble Lord said: In moving Amendment No. 43, I will also speak to Amendments Nos. 44 and 46. These amendments are about a Henry VIII power in the Bill. The Secretary of State is being given power to amend other criminal justice primary legislation and, in particular, the Criminal Justice Act 2003. The Criminal Justice Act 2003, as the Committee is well aware, is an extremely large Act. As my noble friend Lord Henley said so tellingly, when speaking to the first amendment to this Bill yesterday, much of that Act has not yet been implemented. This Bill already amends it hugely, so why are the Government not using powers already at their disposal to make further amendments? However, the Delegated Powers and Regulatory Reform Committee did not find this clause inappropriate. That is sad, but not surprising. Distressingly, clauses such as this have become a permanent part of our political landscape and the Delegated Powers and Regulatory Reform Committee has, however reluctantly, accepted it. In those circumstances, once this amendment has been moved, I intend to beg leave to withdraw it. That is unless one or more Members of the Committee are prepared to be more robust than I have been. I beg to move.