Serious Crime Bill [HL]

I hope that I have made it clear that the whole point of using the Information Commissioner, which is what the banking world has asked for, is that he is seen as the arbiter of good practice. The codes that are produced by the Information Commissioner are widely used and accepted as the benchmark. Therefore, it is not necessary to replicate those in a new code through a new avenue, because the skill, ability, breadth of knowledge and respect of the Information Commissioner are such that everyone concurs that he is the right person to monitor these issues. I was seeking to make it clear that, through the methodology that we have adopted, we will deliver what the banking world is asking for. I think that it was the noble Lord, Lord Burnett—although it might have been the noble Lord, Lord Crickhowell—who said that, once you have the set, that is not the end of it; it is the basis on which you then make the inquiry. I hope that I made it clear in responding to the first set of amendments that the way in which the fraud initiative works follows that template. It appears to me at first blush that we are not at odds. I am seeking to explain the way in which the Bill has been structured in order to deliver and give the assurance about data protection that the Committee clearly wants and that the Government want, too. It was very important to us when we were developing this process that it was a process with which the Information Commissioner could feel comfortable.