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11

 

House of Commons

 
 

Tuesday 18 December 2012

 

Public Bill Committee Proceedings

 

Groceries Code Adjudicator Bill [Lords]

 

[FIFTH Sitting]

 

Ian Murray

 

Huw Irranca-Davies

 

Withdrawn  26

 

Clause  18,  page  7,  line  30,  after ‘Adjudicator’, insert ‘or the Deputy Adjudicator or

 

any person acting on the Adjudicator’s behalf’.

 

Ian Murray

 

Huw Irranca-Davies

 

Withdrawn  27

 

Clause  18,  page  7,  line  30,  leave out ‘may’ and insert ‘must’.

 

Ian Murray

 

Huw Irranca-Davies

 

Not called  28

 

Clause  18,  page  7,  line  36,  after ‘Adjudicator’, insert ‘or the Deputy Adjudicator or

 

any person acting on the Adjudicator’s behalf’.

 

Ian Murray

 

Huw Irranca-Davies

 

Not called  29

 

Clause  18,  page  7,  line  36,  leave out ‘may’ and insert ‘must’.

 

Ian Murray

 

Huw Irranca-Davies

 

Not called  59

 

Clause  18,  page  7,  line  37,  leave out from ‘Adjudicator’ to end and insert ‘should

 

reasonably believe could cause the identity of the complainant to be revealed’.

 

Ian Murray

 

Huw Irranca-Davies

 

Not called  30

 

Clause  18,  page  7,  line  42,  after ‘Adjudicator’, insert ‘or the Deputy Adjudicator or

 

any person acting on the Adjudicator’s behalf’.

 
 

Public Bill Committee Proceedings: 18 December 2012        

12

 

Groceries Code Adjudicator Bill-[Lords], continued

 
 

Andrew George

 

Withdrawn  17

 

Clause  18,  page  7,  line  43,  leave out paragraphs (b) and (c).

 

Andrew George

 

Not called  18

 

Clause  18,  page  8,  line  2,  at end insert—

 

‘(3A)    

Notwithstanding subsection (3), the Adjudicator shall, before permitting any

 

disclosure of the identity of any complainant or provider of information to the

 

Adjudicator, take all practical steps to protect the identity of that person by

 

redacting, anonymising and where appropriate otherwise limiting the disclosure

 

of identifying information to any third party and further by obtaining binding

 

undertakings of non-disclosure from any person to whom identifying information

 

is disclosed.’.

 

Ian Murray

 

Huw Irranca-Davies

 

Not called  31

 

Clause  18,  page  8,  line  9,  at end add—

 

‘( )    

Any person who, in contravention of this section knowingly discloses any

 

information obtained when employed by, or acting on behalf of, the Adjudicator

 

is guilty of an offence and liable on summary conviction to a fine.’.

 

Clause Agreed to.

 

 

Ian Murray

 

Huw Irranca-Davies

 

Withdrawn  60

 

Clause  19,  page  8,  line  23,  at end insert—

 

‘(5A)    

Notwithstanding section 25, the Adjudicator must publish the criteria as set out

 

in subsection (5) within three months of this Act coming into force’.

 

Clause Agreed to.

 

Clauses 20 to 22 Agreed to.

 

 

Jo Swinson

 

Agreed to  12

 

Clause  23,  page  10 ,  line  21,  leave out ‘9(1) or’.

 

Clause, as amended, Agreed to.

 

Clauses 24 and 25 Agreed to.

 

 
 

Public Bill Committee Proceedings: 18 December 2012        

13

 

Groceries Code Adjudicator Bill-[Lords], continued

 
 

Jo Swinson

 

Agreed to  13

 

Clause  26,  page  11,  line  3,  leave out subsection (2).

 

Clause, as amended, Agreed to.

 

 

NEW CLAUSES

 

Extension of groceries code

 

Ian Murray

 

Huw Irranca-Davies

 

Withdrawn  NC2

 

To move the following Clause:—

 

‘(1)    

In advance of each annual report prepared under section 14, the Adjudicator shall

 

consider any information received in the preceding year concerning supply

 

relations between suppliers and third parties (intermediaries) who on onward

 

suppliers to large retailers;

 

(2)    

If under subsection (1), the Adjudicator has information of incidents that, were

 

they to have occurred between a supplier and a large retailer, would have

 

constituted a breach of the Groceries Code, the Adjudicator shall consider and

 

make recommendations on whether the pattern of such incidents merits an

 

extension of the Groceries Code to such intermediaries and therefore a

 

redefinition of “direct supplier” in the Groceries Code;

 

(3)    

In advance of every third annual report prepared under section 14, the

 

Adjudicator shall consider any information received in the preceding three-year

 

period concerning supply relations between suppliers and third party onward

 

suppliers not covered by subsection (2);

 

(4)    

If under subsection (3) the Adjudicator has information of incidents that, were

 

they to have occurred between a supplier and a large retailer, would have

 

constituted a breach of the Groceries Code, the Adjudicator shall consider and

 

make recommendations on whether the pattern of such incidents merits an

 

extension of the Groceries Code to such intermediaries.’.

 

 

Sunsetting provisions and replacement of current code on statutory footing

 

Ian Murray

 

Huw Irranca-Davies

 

Withdrawn  NC3

 

To move the following Clause:—

 

‘(1)    

Within three years of this Act coming into force, the Competition Commission

 

shall conduct a review of the effectiveness of the Act’s provisions with regard to

 

levels of compliance with the Groceries Code.

 

(2)    

If the review finds that the levels of compliance are unsatisfactory, the Secretary

 

of State shall prepare and lay before Parliament regulations containing analogous

 
 

Public Bill Committee Proceedings: 18 December 2012        

14

 

Groceries Code Adjudicator Bill-[Lords], continued

 
 

provisions to those in the Groceries Code, thereby giving statutory effect to the

 

Code.

 

(3)    

“Levels of compliance” as referred to in section (1) shall be deemed

 

unsatisfactory if (without limitation) they have not improved since the bringing

 

into force of the Act.

 

(4)    

The Groceries Supply Code of Practice shall thereby be revoked.

 

(5)    

Where the Secretary of State proposes to issue or revise a code of practice under

 

subsection (2), he shall prepare a draft of the code (or revised code).

 

(6)    

The Secretary of State shall consult the following about the draft—

 

(a)    

The Competition Commission;

 

(b)    

The Office of Fair Trading;

 

(c)    

The retailers mentioned in Article 4(1)(a) and (b) of the Groceries Supply

 

Order;

 

(d)    

one or more persons appearing to the Secretary of State to represent the

 

interests of suppliers;

 

(e)    

one or more persons appearing to the Secretary of State to represent the

 

interests of consumers; and

 

(f)    

any other person the Secretary of State thinks appropriate.

 

(7)    

If the Secretary of State determines to proceed with the draft (either in its original

 

form or with modifications) he shall lay the draft before Parliament in the form

 

of regulations.

 

(8)    

Such regulations shall be made by Statutory Instrument and may only be made if

 

a draft of them has been laid before and approved by resolution of both Houses

 

of Parliament.

 

(9)    

A code (or revised code) issued under subsection (6) shall come into force on such

 

date as the Secretary of State may by order made by statutory instrument

 

appoint.’.

 

 

Andrew George

 

Huw Irranca-Davies

 

Ian Murray

 

Not called  36

 

Title,  line  2,  after ‘Code’, insert ‘monitoring it’.

 

Bill, as amended, to be reported.

 

 
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Revised 19 December 2012