Damages (Asbestos-related Conditions) Bill [HL]

I thank the noble Baroness, Lady Quin, for introducing the Bill for the simple reason that it has made the Government’s position much clearer, and their approach generally seems to be correct. But it is the process of Private Member’s Bills often to clarify, so it has fulfilled its function if we have a slightly better understanding of the issues. The noble Lord, Lord Henley, has a point about the background detail but it may be that it is for the Bill’s proposer to answer that question, which may be a bit much without the Civil Service behind her. A balance needs to be struck, but the Bill has achieved clarification even if it is not the right vehicle for that issue. We need to take a step back.