European Union (Withdrawal) Bill

Baroness Fookes Excerpts

Report: 6th sitting (Hansard): House of Lords
Tuesday 8th May 2018 Lords Chamber

Amendments 72B to 72G agreed.

[The Deputy Speaker (Baroness Fookes) (Con)]

If Amendment 72H is agreed to, I cannot call Amendment 73 by reason of pre-emption.

Amendment 72H

Moved by

--- Later in debate ---

These amendments are needed now, more than ever, owing to the Government’s rejection of Amendment 30A, introduced by the noble and learned Lord, Lord Wallace of Tankerness, which I supported. That amendment would have included a principle of non-regression in relation to equality rights in the Bill. These rather more modest amendments also seek to ensure that the withdrawal of the UK from the EU does not diminish protections in equality legislation, by strengthening the terms of the ministerial statement required when exercising the delegated powers in the Bill. I remain concerned that delegated powers could be used to dilute the equality rights currently protected by EU law and, to prevent this, I commend Amendments 83A and 83E to the House.

[The Deputy Speaker (Baroness Fookes) (Con)]

I should point out that if this amendment were to be agreed, I could not call Amendments 83AA to 83AC by reason of pre-emption.

Brexit: Legislating for the United Kingdom’s Withdrawal from the European Union

Baroness Fookes Excerpts

Thursday 30th March 2017 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Royall of Blaisdon (Lab)]

It is the turn of the noble Baroness opposite.

[Baroness Fookes (Con)]

My Lords, as chairman of the Delegated Powers Committee, I am pleased that the Government seem to be taking on board many of the recommendations we have made in tandem with the Constitution Committee, with which we are working closely. The most important from our point of view is the sunset clause—the time-limiting one—which deals, I think, with many of the worries people have about giving the Government extensive powers. May I take it a little further? There will be primary legislation dealing with other matters where we will wish to take a different approach and have a different policy. My guess is that there will be considerable delegated powers. I ask the Government not to take too much for granted. Our committee will have beady eyes on it all.

[Lord Bridges of Headley]

I am delighted that the beady eye of my noble friend will continue to survey all that comes from government, and so it should. I thank very much my noble friend and the members of her committee for their work. As I said, we have confirmed that there will be a sunset clause in this piece of legislation. My noble friend is absolutely right about the other pieces of legislation that will follow. I will not say here and now the extent of any delegated powers they might have, but we are obviously very mindful of the need to ensure that those powers are proportionate.