Mr Bill O'Brien (Normanton, Labour)

I remind the Committee that with this we are taking the following:

Amendment No. 174, in

clause 32, page 26, line 7, leave out subsection (3).

Mr Bob Ainsworth (Parliamentary Under-Secretary, Home Office; Coventry North East, Labour)

I was about to conclude my comments on the Liberal Democrat amendment by saying that individual chief police officers will have to decide in each case whether to designate community support officers with the powers, as they do for designating CSOs with any other powers. The chief police officer will therefore have to ensure that the person designated is comfortable with the designation and has had the appropriate training to be able to exercise the powers that we seek to give them. In the light of my explanations, I hope that the hon. Member for Mid-Dorset and North Poole (Mrs. Brooke) will be prepared to withdraw the amendment.

Ms Annette Brooke (Mid Dorset & North Poole, Liberal Democrat)

I thank the Minister for his answer, which has provided some reassurance. I am pleased, however, to have been able to put down a marker about my general concern about community support officers being put into difficult situations. I beg to ask leave to withdraw the amendment.

Amendment, by leave, withdrawn.

Clause 32 ordered to stand part of the Bill.

Clauses 33 and 34 ordered to stand part of the Bill.