Michael
Connarty: I do not wish to delay the Committee, but I am
drawing on experiences from when I was representing people in a
profession; they had complaints against them, some upheld and some
not. I
am well aware that the General Teaching Council for Scotland strikes
people off and then allows them to reapply. The hon. Member for
Scarborough and Whitby cited cases of people who had paedophile images
on computers. I am well aware that some people who had previously been
struck off have been put back on the register of the GTC. There seems
to be no method of alerting the people who were offended
against—who made the original complaint—of that
happening. I know, and I have heard statements from people in the
teaching profession at a very high level, that such people are back on
that GTC register—they do not know where they are teaching, and
they do not know anything about
them. In
the case of a new application being made under schedule 1, when people
are given a new licence, what safeguards are there? Someone might get a
new licence, but the person who was the original victim, or the person
who did the complaining, would not be told. The person with the new
licence would end up practising in a new jurisdiction—in terms
of geography—and it would concern me if there were no safeguards
for the public if that could
happen.
Willie
Rennie: I shall take a stab at that. I hope that the
system that is in place for approved driving instructors would identify
people who were appropriate to be driving instructors or not. I would
have to ask the Minister whether there is a notification scheme that
entitles victims of an offence to be notified. If the approved driving
instructor registrar believes that such a person is an appropriate
instructor, perhaps that is the judgment required and, therefore,
requires no subsequent notification. I shall leave the Minister to
respond on that detail, as it is a technical
matter.
Paul
Clark: I add to the comments of the promoter of the Bill
by saying that all applications for new licences and for renewal go
through a Criminal Records Bureau check, which should pick up the
concerns that my hon. Friend the Member for Linlithgow and East Falkirk
has.
Schedule
1, as amended, agreed to.
Schedule
2Repeals Amendments
made: 26, in
schedule 2, page 9, line 35, at
end insert—
This
amendment is consequential on amendment 20. When the amendments to the
RTA 1988 made by Schedule 6 to the Road Safety Act 2006 are brought
into force, the transitory amendment of the RTA 1988 as it currently
has effect will need to be
repealed. Amendment
27, in
schedule 2, page 9, line 36, at
end insert—
| ‘Section
129(9).’. —(Paul
Clark.) |
This
amendment is consequential on amendment 21. When the amendments to the
RTA 1988 made by Schedule 6 to the Road Safety Act 2006 are brought
into force, the transitory amendment of the RTA 1988 as it currently
has effect will need to be
repealed. Schedule
2, as amended, agreed to.
Question
proposed, That the Chairman do report the Bill, as amended, to the
House.
Willie
Rennie: I am grateful for the obedient manner in
which the Committee has performed this morning. This is the style that
I like—perhaps I should become the Chief Whip of the Liberal
Democrats to ensure discipline all round. I am grateful to Committee
members for attending and for asking probing questions, which is only
appropriate.
I thank the
Minister, who is new to the Bill. I was working with his predecessor,
the hon. Member for Poplar and Canning Town (Jim Fitzpatrick), who was
delightful to work with. He was extremely supportive of the Bill and
ensured that it got through the appropriate stages. I am delighted that
the current Minister has quickly got up to speed with the Bill’s
details; he performed very well this morning. Thank you, Mr.
Wilshire, for your efficient chairmanship and thank you to the
Committee.
Mr.
Goodwill: All that I would add is, could the Minister pass
the Committee’s thanks on to his officials in the Department?
They have obviously had a lot of hard work going through the details to
ensure that every i is dotted and every t is crossed. I also thank the
previous Minister, the hon. Member for Poplar and Canning Town, who put
in a lot of leg work on the Bill as well.
Paul
Clark: Thank you, Mr. Wilshire, for your
chairmanship today in expediting the Committee stage of what is an
important Bill for constituents across the length and breadth of the
country. I congratulate the hon. Member for Dunfermline and West Fife
on his hard work and persistence in pursuing the issue on his
constituents’ behalf. I would like to put on record our thanks
to Lesley Anne Steele for coming forward and taking the steps that she
has, which could not have been easy. The experience and the work of the
hon. Gentleman has provided a Bill that will become an Act important
for the protection of our constituents. I also thank my predecessor, my
hon. Friend the Member for Poplar and Canning Town, who worked on the
issue. As he handed over the baton he said that it was a worthwhile
Bill and he had enjoyed working on it. I know that he will be pleased
that it has gone through Committee. Finally, I thank the officials who
have worked closely with the hon. Member for Dunfermline and West Fife
to make the legislation possible.
The
Chairman: I thank hon. Members for the comments made. I
thank our Clerk, who ensured that we did this properly. It was probably
appropriate that I chair a Committee dealing with learner drivers
because I am a learner Chairman, as you have noticed, and I am grateful
to you all for accepting my shortcomings with good humour. I am sure
that it is not only Mr. Knight I will see in the Smoking
Room later.
Question
put and agreed to.
Bill, as
amended, accordingly to be reported.
10.15
am Committee
rose.
| 
