Corporate Manslaughter and Corporate Homicide Bill

Those were reassuring words, but again we are up against a pretty strict timetable. This Bill has been through all its stages in the other place; we have been through Second Reading here and are now into the Committee stage. I understand that we have three days next week in Committee and it is likely that we shall finish that stage next week. So there is very little time left for the Government to introduce all these amendments. I am sorry to impose additional burdens on the overworked officials who are no doubt giving the Minister good advice, but we will have to move pretty quickly, because we will want to see some of these amendments in good time before we deal with Report stage. There is a wish to see us move in the direction that we have been discussing. The Minister over a month ago said he wanted to see us move in this direction. I know that we allow Ministers to have a brief break over Christmas and the New Year, but I understand that we will have Report in the first week of February, so the timetable is very tight. I just hope that we will be able to meet those situations fast, or the noble Baroness and I will have no alternative but to return to this on Report if the Government have not come forward with some proposals. I believe the merit of these amendments is that they leave to the court the manner in which publication is ordered. The Minister speculated on how that might be; surely, if we leave it to the court, the court can apply the particular circumstances of the conviction to the particular circumstances of the publication. We do not need to set out a whole series of complicated options; let us leave it to the courts to decide, because they will have heard all the evidence, and the judge can make whatever order is appropriate. But in accordance with convention, I beg leave to withdraw the amendment. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn. [Amendments Nos. 17 and 18 not moved.] Clause 1 agreed to.