Constitutional Reform and Governance Bill

The Government have given assurances that they will have an independent complaints mechanism and that staff will be recruited on merit, and I can repeat those assurances to the hon. Gentleman and the Committee today. I am grateful to the hon. Member for Cheltenham (Martin Horwood) for mentioning the rights of GCHQ staff. If he had not, I would have done. It was this Government who gave trade union rights to GCHQ staff, as my hon. Friend the Member for Walsall, North (Mr. Winnick) mentioned, and we are proud of that. I hope that hon. Members are reassured by my repeating our assurances on protection for staff.