Clause 40 - Power of Secretary of State to set
Education Bill
6:45 pm
Mr Phil Willis (Harrogate and Knaresborough, Liberal Democrat)
As an affiliated member of the Liberal Democrats—I do not know whether that is a promotion or a demotion—I look forward to the latest out-of-touch leaflet from the hon. Member for Isle of Wight. I pay tribute to the hon. Gentleman, however, because the kernel of his argument showed that he has spotted a genuine issue that the Minister has not recognised. I referred to it on Second Reading and it concerns the comments that I have made, perhaps too flippantly, about the bypassing of local authorities under the Bill.
The hon. Gentleman's amendment did not include reference to the Home Secretary's role in the police. Although Mr. Campbell has not briefed me fully, I understand that one major stumbling block in Cabinet was that when the former Secretary of State wanted a ring-fenced budget for education—to take it out of what was the Deputy Prime Minister's Department and run it all from Sanctuary house—the then Home Secretary said that he wanted to do the same for the police. Indeed, other Department heads would be able to say that they needed a ring-fenced budget for their Departments too.