Political Parties and Elections Bill

I wish to make a brief contribution. We, too, see the logic of clarifying these issues and we very much endorse what the noble Baroness, Lady Gould, said about the role of the chief executive. It is now easier to follow and clear. It is also important that the chief executive knows what the role is and to whom he or she is accountable on this issue. There was quite a lot of discussion about this at an earlier stage, and I think that this is now probably a sensible consensus and compromise. However, it is important that those responsible in the commission for any form of enforcement are seen as a particular category. It may be that a longer period will be necessary for them, not just from a practical point of view but, as we have said in debate on other amendments today, from a perception point of view as well. I listened very carefully to the noble Lord, Lord Hodgson of Astley Abbotts. I understand his point about quarantine but I fear that, as the noble Baroness said, the length of time is less important than the mindset. You could stipulate that people should not have been involved in active politics for 15 years but the important point is their mindset when they come to the job. Similarly, I am sad to say that if a young person has ambitions to become an investigative journalist, it will not matter how many years of restriction are imposed because that may not have any bearing. That person may not have had any political experience but may be extremely ambitious to join the team of the Sunday Times, to quote just one example. Whatever the case, I do not think that we should be deluded into thinking that time is the critical point. However, the noble Lord made a very important point about loyalty and commitment in the commission. If we do nothing else in this Committee and at later stages, we have to reinforce that point, if only because, with the appointment of the nominated party commissioners, we may look as though we are diluting the issue.