Banking (Special Provisions) Bill

I do not want the hon. Gentleman to caricature my position too much. This is not a wide-ranging provision that will remain on the statute book for ever. He will admit that clause 6 is one of the sunset clauses and that these are focused powers in very specific and unusual circumstances, so it does not go quite as wide as he is trying to make out. I hope he will recognise that. I tried to put my remarks in that context when I spoke about including building societies. At least the hon. Gentleman ought to recognise that the circumstances are unusual, that there are high hurdles to get over in clause 2, and the provisions are quite focused. I made a point of saying that this was an interim solution while we were examining the longer-term issues of banking reform, which he and the House know we will return to later in the Session, after due consideration and consultation with all the outside forces that he mentioned.