Political Parties and Elections Bill

My Lords, I am grateful to the noble Lord for explaining the government amendments. I wish to comment briefly on the two amendments in my name and that of my noble friend Lord Bates, and on Amendment 98, to which I imagine the noble Lord, Lord Tyler, will want to speak, and which my noble friend and I also support. As regards Amendments 96 and 97, in light of what the noble Lord said about achieving most of what we were trying to do in those amendments, and in view of the lateness of the hour I assure noble Lords that I shall not move those amendments when we come to them. As regards Amendment 98, I make it clear again, as we did in Committee, that we still find it odd that the Government are trying to insist that nothing can go ahead before 2014, whatever happens. That is why we strongly support the amendment in the name of the noble Lords, Lord Tyler and Lord Rennard, myself and my noble friend Lord Bates. That amendment makes it clear that if the commission believes that an appropriate assessment has been made, as provided by subsection (4)(a), a recommendation can then be made that the process should go ahead. Most of us, being rather cynical, suspect that there are political motives behind this and that we are not allowed, if things are ready, to move ahead of the date 2014, if that is possible. It might be that the Government have been conservative, and it might not be possible to get things moving by 2014, but it might be that we are easily ready for that date. When the noble Lord, Lord Tyler, comes to move his Amendment 98, which we are supporting, we will certainly give it our backing. I do not know what the noble Lord, Lord Tyler, intends to do with it at this late hour on a Wednesday evening. If he feels it is inappropriate to divide what I imagine is a fairly empty House at this hour, he might consider coming back to it at Report stage. Certainly, as this is happening at a late hour, we would reserve the right to consider that if it was necessary.