Law Commission Bill [Lords]

He leant forward, and I was wondering what he was going to do next. However, he does not want to intervene so I shall not take the matter any further. The Minister said that the amendments make matters less clear, but I think that they make them much clearer. At the moment, the Bill simply reads: "As soon as practicable". That is much less precise than""no later than six months"." I do not understand why the Minister thinks that my proposal would make things worse. I am afraid to say that the Government's response makes me suspicious, and not for the first time. I am not sure that their heart is really in this Bill. They may say that it is, but if it was, they would accept our amendments instead of quibbling about them. Most importantly, they would have dealt with the substance of clause 1 and done something about the Law Commission's outstanding proposals, on which the Government have taken no decisions. Those proposals are still being considered, thanks to a logjam or some ghastly disease of incompatibility between Departments, leading to paralysis, which is a function of the increased bureaucracy of recent years. All I am saying is that this is a case where the best and the good go together. At the moment the Bill is less than good. We are putting forward a sensible proposal to amend it. I therefore take pleasure in promoting and supporting amendment 1. Question put, That the amendment be made. The House divided: Ayes 4, Noes 36.