6.In accordance with the Home Secretary’s undertaking, the Sexual Offences (Amendment) Bill, containing provisions on the age of consent and abuse of trust (see paragraphs 7- 8 below) was introduced in the House of Commons on 16 December 1998. At Second Reading on 25 January 1999 it was passed by 313 in favour 130 against. When the Bill was considered at Report Stage on 1 March (Hansard col. 754) a new provision was added so that a person under the age of consent would no longer commit an offence themselves if they engaged in buggery (not Scotland) or certain homosexual acts with a person over the age of consent (now section 2 of the Act , see paragraph 12 below). After Third Reading the Bill passed to the House of Lords on 2 March. On 13 April when Lord Williams of Mostyn, QC, then a Minister of State at the Home Office, moved that the Bill be read a second time, Baroness Young moved an amendment that it be read “this day six months”. The amendment was agreed to by 222 to146 and the Bill therefore fell in that session.
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