Clause 8 - Control of Credit Arrangements
Local Government Bill
2:30 pm
Mr Philip Hammond (Runnymede and Weybridge, Conservative)
That is exactly what I intend to do. The Under-Secretary has gone some way to reassure me that the Bill, combined with the regulations and the codes of proper accounting practices, will deliver the desired result.
As I have said in Standing Committees many hundreds of times, and will no doubt say many more hundreds of times, we would always prefer the Bill to be more explicit about such provisions. However, we all agree that it is best, wherever possible, to following standard accounting practices and to have the minimum number of departures from them. My interpretation of the Bill would have given more scope for such departures, but the Under-Secretary reassures me. I shall read his remarks carefully and allow others, who know much more about these matters than I do, to do so too. We want to make sure that we are satisfied, but I beg to ask leave to withdraw the amendment.
Amendment, by leave, withdrawn.