Employment Bill [Lords]

I just mentioned one thing—an employment commission—and I am about to move on to the next one, if the hon. Gentleman sits tight and listens. I hope that he will serve on the Public Bill Committee, that we will be able to explore these matters in great detail together and that I might get his support from the Back Benches. We intend to examine non-payment in detail in Committee, and I hope the Government will look favourably on the ideas proposed by a number of people, principally Citizens Advice, which has done detailed work on the issue and tackled it on the front line. The issue is really about using the state to take the risk that at the moment is borne by individuals. At the moment, individuals have to pay to go through the county court process. They will get the money back, if they win, but I want the Government to consider whether the state could take on the risk for very low-paid individuals. The state would get the money back, but the burden of risk would be shifted from the individual to the state. NACAB has suggested using High Court enforcement officers. There are many approaches to the issue, and I hope that we will be able to have a detailed discussion in Committee about the various methods. I feel strongly that the good aspects of the Bill will not come to fruition without some means of taking the next step. It is an important issue for individuals, and I hope that the Government will consider closing the loophole. There are some good aspects to the Bill, but some issues are missing. The principal issue is how we can give individuals the opportunity to claim the money that they have already technically been awarded but cannot get their hands on, and I hope that the Government will consider our amendments in Committee.