Parliamentary Standards Bill

I will be brief. I agree with the noble Baroness, Lady Hamwee, that there is always a problem. There has been a problem throughout the Bill of pre-empting the work of Christopher Kelly. I do not share with the noble Baroness the same problem with the word "allowances". To me, expenses are something for which you have to put in receipts for a particular purpose, and "payments" to me sounds a bit more like a salary. I was rather comfortable with the word "allowances", and thought it fitted the bill pretty well. I will be interested to hear what the thinking was behind the Government’s approach. Whether this Bill becomes law next week or not, as soon as Christopher Kelly has reported it may be that we will have to revisit this whole issue again. Maybe the noble Baroness will have her day at some stage in the next Session of Parliament.