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Lord McCarthy: On a point of order, we are on eight o'clock.
Lord Rooker: No, it is 59 minutes past. We are going to eight o'clock. We are time serving here. My noble friend has brought it upon himself.
In responding to my noble friend, I agree with what he said about the success of the Clegg report and the sadness that in the event the commission was disbanded before it could show the fruition of its efforts. I shall deal with these two amendments in due course and with one particular aspect of them. In some ways, only the one aspect of the central negotiating body needs to be dealt with. That goes to the heart of the Bill's purpose—that is, that the Secretary of State should have the power to draw a line under any disputes. We are missing that in our debate. Ultimately, if a dispute gets to that stage, the Secretary of State must be in a position to draw a line in order that it is not dragged out or does not go into further procedures. Arbitration is already provided for.
As it is now eight o'clock, I suggest that this is a convenient moment for the Committee to adjourn until 3.30 p.m. next Monday.
- The Committee adjourned at eight o'clock.
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