| Courts Bill [Lords]
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Mr. Leslie: On a point of order, Mr. O'Brien. I take this opportunity to thank you for your steady stewardship and for helping me through proceedings on my first Bill since taking up my new portfolio at the Department for Constitutional Affairs. It has been an interesting experience all round. I hope that you can pass the Committee's thanks on to Mr. Illsley, who helped to see our proceedings through to a timely conclusion. Our progress has been largely due to the wise and steady hand of the Yorkshire Members in the Chair and on the Front Benches. Their influence had a beneficial effect all round. I particularly thank you, Mr. O'Brien, for aiding me in some of my darker moments. At times, I was not quite sure which were Government amendments and which were Opposition amendments, but I think that we got things right in the end. I also take this opportunity to thank the long-serving members of the Committee, particularly on the Labour Benches, for their contributions and their support for the Bill. Perhaps we can have a drink later, so that I can say thank them properly. I also thank the Clerks, those who helped to run our proceedings and the officials from my Department. Finally, I should say a special thank you to the Government Whip for steadying my nerves. This has been a great experience, and I thank everyone who helped to see the Bill through Committee. Mr. Hawkins: Further to that point of order, Mr. O'Brien. I echo the Minister's thanks to you, to your fellow Chairman, Mr. Illsley, and to all those who have assisted us. In particular, I thank the Clerk. When one is on the Opposition Benches, one is very dependent on the Clerk for help and guidance. Unlike Ministers, we do not have armies of officials to advise us. When seeking advice, we have to throw ourselves on the mercy of the Clerks, so I am particularly grateful to the Committee's Clerk, Mr. Sandall. I am also grateful to the Hansard writers, the police officers and everyone else who has been involved with the Committee. I thank Blake Ahitow and Elizabeth Hogseth-Gill, who worked on the Bill with me as members of my team. I am grateful to the Opposition Whip, my hon. Friend the Member for Upminster (Angela Watkinson), for her help and guidance. I also thank my hon. Friends on the Back Benches. Only my hon. Friend the Member for Wycombe (Mr. Column Number: 236 Goodman) is with us at the moment, because my hon. Friends the Members for Henley (Mr. Johnson) and for Witney (Mr. Cameron) have other commitments. None the less, all my Back-Bench colleagues have made helpful and thoughtful contributions. Finally, I pay tribute to Labour Back Benchers, who contributed some constructive ideas, and to the hon. Members for Somerton and Frome (Mr. Heath) and for North Norfolk (Norman Lamb).This has been a genuinely constructive Committee. There have been disputed issues, and we shall need to return to some of them on Report, but we have all tried to do our job properly. In some respects, I do not think that the media give Committee proceedings enough coverage. The clause-by-clause, line-by-line, word-by-word scrutiny of Bills is an important part of parliamentary procedure. We try to ensure that legislation is improved, and I think that we have done so on this occasion. Indeed, although the Minister may have been slightly confused on one or two occasions, he can now at least say that his Department—with its new acronym of Decaf—has its first genuinely decaffeinated Bill. Mr. Heath: Further to that point of order, Mr. O'Brien. We seem to have done too many of these mini Oscar ceremonies in this Session, although, of course, I concur with everything that the Minister and the hon. Member for Surrey Heath said. I extend our thanks to you, your co-Chairman and everyone else who has been involved with the Committee. It has been an extremely good Committee and has starred what has become, during this Session, almost a repertory company of hon. Members with an interest in home affairs and legal matters. I thank my hon. Friend the Member for North Norfolk for taking time out from his Treasury duties to fill in so ably for me while I was creating peace and security across Europe on Tuesday. Indeed, I thank all the members of what has been a good Committee. The Bill is a better measure than when it started its passage through the House and, indeed, through this Committee. We hope for further progress yet, but at least the Bill is different from the one that caused so much concern when first published. That has happened as a result of scrutiny by Parliament, which shows that sometimes this place can do its job properly. The Chairman: I shall certainly pass on the comments that have been made to the hon. Member for Barnsley, Central (Mr. Illsley). I have found it a pleasure to be in the Chair listening to the debate. The Bill will be of tremendous value to our communities, and of interest to a lot of people who will have to rely on it. My job has been relatively easy because of the conduct of all of the parties. I commend all people concerned for discussing the business before the Committee, and not straying on to other issues. I thank Mr. Sandall for his guidance and help in ensuring that the business has been dealt with in the correct order and manner. I also thank the Hansard writers both for keeping a record and producing it at such speed. That helps hon. Members to reflect on previous business. I thank every Column Number: 237 Committee member for their full co-operation and the assistance that they have given to the Chair during proceedings.Column Number: 238 Bill, as amended, to be reported. Committee rose at Twenty-two minutes past Eleven o'clock.
The following Members attended the Committee:
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| Prepared 10 July 2003 | |
