Banking (Special Provisions) Bill

My Lords, the noble Lord is perfectly in order to ask me a question. I will do my best to answer him. I want him to accept that, in fact, there is no dispute at all between us and the Official Opposition and the amendment that is before us on the desirability of the framework agreement being made and being published as soon as possible. However, the noble Lord will recognise that the Official Opposition’s amendment gives a very specific tie to it in terms of the making of the order. I am maintaining, from the Government’s point of view, that that is an unrealistic demand, while at the same time I am giving the fullest assurance that if we are able to meet that kind of timetable, we will. But, should we fail on that timetable, we will produce the framework agreement as rapidly as we can. I cannot offer much more than that.