I hope that the Minister will take on board the comments made today and that he will indicate that the Government intend to accept new clause 1. The need for the new clause becomes stronger all the time because of the accelerating tendency in the Government to pass primary legislation that allows for secondary legislation to be made by order. Column 552 a certain sloppiness of thought when Ministers introduce legislation. I think that that is the root of many of our problems. I think that the new clause is especially relevant and that my hon.
Friend is right.
If there were greater precision in our legislative process, the need for secondary legislation would not be so great. That precision has been considerably blunted by the Government's tendency increasingly to rush legislation through the House without proper debate. To my mind the use of such clauses is even more reprehensible than the ordinary use of secondary legislation, as they permit the alteration of primary legislation by secondary legislation without reference to the House. New clause 1, which deals with reviewing all that regulation, is therefore particularly important. I hope that the House will accept that I have a pedigree on the subject.