Education and Skills Bill

I want to focus on amendments Nos. 150 and 152. Amendment No. 150 inserts a new clause entitled ““Continuity of the law””. I would like some reassurance from the Minister about what appears to be a rather catch-all transitional provision that could allow those making legislation to cover their tracks and say, ““This transitional provision is sufficient for all of us retrospectively to agree that everything's all right.”” Amendment No. 152 inserts a new clause entitled ““Prohibition on participation in management””. The Minister mentioned it in his earlier remarks about mischief regarding unsuitable persons and maintaining existing protections in that regard. As I read it, the regulations referred to in the new clause will be made under the terms of that clause. I hope that there will be no hiatus between the safeguards offered by the current protection against unsuitable persons and the introduction of the new clause, which would allow for such protections to be continued but would not in itself introduce them, instead relying on regulations to be made under that clause. I seek assurances from the Minister that the timing will give us continuity of protection.