Clause 7 - Functions of Overview and Scrutiny Committees
Health and Social Care Bill
5:00 pm
Dr Peter Brand (Isle of Wight, Liberal Democrat)
Clearly, our amendment No. 227 is in the spirit of Government new clause 9. I recognise that the new clause is essential in areas not blessed with coterminosity, such as the Isle of Wight.
Will the Minister explain how the joint committees will address the democratic deficit that he says is behind some of the changes? Committees will be composed of democratically elected individuals who may be democratically accountable as individuals. However, I cannot see that a joint body of perhaps four or five local authorities, and a local authority that perhaps has to service two or three joint authorities, creates a direct link between a democratic process and the scrutiny that is so important to the community. We will not end up with anything more directly accountable than a CHC, as it has elected members.
The nearest pattern that I could think of was the local land drainage committees, one of which I was a member of for some years. They travel around the country and see splendid things, but have no influence over anything. I am concerned that we will set up a mechanism to produce window dressing that is not accountable for the work that it does. I would like the Minister to explore what would happen on a joint committee, as opposed to a lead authority, if members of it or the sub-sets of the lead authority committee were of completely different political flavours, persuasions and backgrounds.