My Lords, from these Benches I too thank the Minister, the Bill team and all the civil servants who have worked with them for the collaborative and inclusive way that they have conducted the Bill through this House. I thank Members on other Benches for their immense understanding and patience as at times we have had to rattle through some very difficult issues that normally, in other circumstances, we would not have dealt with in that way.
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I thank the staff of the House who, at some considerable personal potential danger, have enabled us to be here to do what, as I was saying the other day, is an extremely important thing for us to have done
and to continue to do: to scrutinise the legislation that will continue to come before us as the situation unfolds and, in so doing, to be part of the national programme of learning and understanding this virus and the new realities in which we are all going to have to live. This is not just an exercise in parliamentary posturing but an important part of adapting to a world that will inevitably be very different.
I think the point made by the noble and learned Lord, Lord Falconer of Thoroton, about the review of the Bill will turn out to be one of the most practically important parts of the discussions that we have had these last few days. I hope the Minister will bear that in mind and that he and his team will continue to stay in contact with noble Lords who have spoken on the Bill, as well as our colleagues who cannot be here but have taken part remotely, and the staff in our whips’ offices, because the people who raised all the queries with us that we have then raised with him are going to take a continuing interest in the Bill and they are going to want to be part of an ongoing dialogue as the situation unfolds. In the meantime, I thank the Minister very much.