Serious Crime Bill [HL]

My Lords, I beg to move that the House do agree with the Commons in their Amendments Nos. 34 to 36 en bloc. Part 2 creates new offences of encouraging and assisting crime. The inclusion of these offences in the Bill follows a report by the Law Commission in 2006 which recommended the creation of these offences and highlighted how useful they would be against those involved in serious organised crime. The excellent work conducted by the Law Commission is the reason why Part 2 has been so well received and why the changes that were made during the Bill’s passage in the other place were purely technical and merely ensure that these provisions operate effectively. In brief, a number of offences were added to Schedules 3 and 6 and we made provision in relation to instituting proceedings, provided what should happen in relation to conflicts of jurisdiction and provided clearer transitional arrangements. I confirm that these are mostly technical amendments, that there are no new policy implications behind them and that they are entirely in line with Law Commission recommendations. I am more than happy to respond to questions on the amendments if your Lordships wish but, that not being the case, I beg to move. Moved, That the House do agree with the Commons in their Amendments Nos. 34 to 36 en bloc.—(Lord Bassam of Brighton.) On Question, Motion agreed to. 37: Insert the following new Clause- ““Code of practice for disclosure of information to prevent fraud (1) The Secretary of State must prepare, and keep under review, a code of practice with respect to the disclosure, for the purposes of preventing fraud or a particular kind of fraud, of information by public authorities as members of specified anti-fraud organisations or otherwise in accordance with any arrangements made by such organisations. (2) Before preparing or altering the code, the Secretary of State must consult- (a) any specified anti-fraud organisation; (b) the Information Commissioner; and (c) such other persons as the Secretary of State considers appropriate. (3) A public authority must have regard to the code in (or in connection with) disclosing information, for the purposes of preventing fraud or a particular kind of fraud, as a member of a specified anti-fraud organisation or otherwise in accordance with any arrangements made by such an organisation. (4) Nothing in this section applies in relation to any disclosure by a relevant public authority of information whose subject-matter is a matter about which provision would be within the legislative competence of the Scottish Parliament if it were included in an Act of the Scottish Parliament. (5) The Secretary of State must- (a) lay a copy of the code, and of any alterations to it, before Parliament; and (b) from time to time publish the code as for the time being in force. (6) In this section- ““information”” and ““public authority”” have the same meaning as in section 63; ““relevant public authority”” has the meaning given by section 63(6); and ““specified anti-fraud organisation”” means any person which is a specified anti-fraud organisation for the purposes of section 63.””