Can I go back to the origins of banking professional privilege, which lie in the Criminal Justice Act 1987? We used that as a model for the investigatory powers in cartel offences. Section 2 of the 1987 Act confers powers of investigation on the SFO with respect to serious fraud investigations. Since the OFT and SFO will work closely together on cartel investigations, the Government want to ensure that the investigatory powers of the two bodies are

aligned as closely as possible. Section 2(10) provides for banking professional privilege and section 2(10)(b) provides a director of the SFO with the power to override that privilege. The provision here exactly parallels the 1987 Act.

Clause 187(2) seeks to replicate the arrangement. The Amendment would deny an equivalent power to the OFT, which could seriously hamper investigations. No one would deny that the ability to follow money trails is an important power for a cartel investigator. Corrupt payments can be made to seal cartel deals, and individuals involved in bid-rigging and market-sharing can receive sweeteners and pay-offs. The banking trail is important in all those respects. Evidence of such activity is often crucial to securing a conviction, so the OFT needs access to bank records if they are relevant to an investigation.

The Government considered leaving out the banking privilege and the override. In contrast with legal professional privilege, there is no legal requirement to respect banking privilege, but we decided that the OFT board should consider in each case whether banking privilege should be respected. That will provide an additional procedural check before bank records can be accessed, and precisely mirrors the tried and tested process followed by the SFO.

I hope that, in the light of my explanations, the hon. Gentleman will withdraw the amendment. If he does not, I shall ask the Committee to oppose it.