Welfare Reform Bill

Before the noble Lord withdraws his amendment, does he accept that my response referred specifically to the point that the Commission for Equality and Human Rights should not be involved in the annual report as he suggests? For us to require the commission to do something would be to infringe its independence, which is a key component of its original creation. We cannot and should not ask or force the commission to do something. If it wishes to undertake reviews of a whole range of issues, it is perfectly entitled to do so and doubtless in future it will. But to require the commission in this legislation to produce an annual report would be inappropriate.