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Department. Like the Enterprise Bill,


this Bill hasn’t been thought through and won’t do anything to get much needed growth back in to our economy. The Bill is currently in its


Committee Stage where it is debated and scrutinised line- by-line.


To watch my


contribution at Second Reading, please click the play button.


legislation will create the position of an Adjudicator who will referee any disputes between the major supermarkets and their suppliers. This was a measure which all parties committed to in their general election manifesto, and one which the previous Labour Government committed to introducing. However, the major


The Groceries Code Adjudicator Bill has been a long time coming. This


concern I have is that the Groceries Code Adjudicator will be a toothless tiger. As it currently stands, the Adjudicator will not be able to impose fines immediately on retailers who have breached the groceries code, even if he/she believes that is the best course of action. Instead, the


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adjudicator will have to go through a fairly laborious process before being granted the power by the Government. To draw a football analogy - it's like the referee having to ask the Football Association for permission to use his red card - it makes no sense. The Adjudicator must


therefore have teeth to tackle these issues and the power to issue fines must be available to him/her from day one. We'll be pushing the Government all the way on this issue. Click the play button to


watch my speech.


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