Clause 2 - Regional planning bodies
Planning and Compulsory Purchase Bill
8:55 am
Mr Tony McNulty (Parliamentary Under-Secretary, Office of the Deputy Prime Minister; Harrow East, Labour)
That would be the case if the transformation of the membership meant that the regional planning body fell outside the criteria that we have laid down, indicatively for now, in the planning Green Paper, which will be developed more substantively by circular or regulation. Those criteria will be clearly laid down. One could envisage cases in which an additional or replacement member substantially transformed the body so that it was no longer representative of the region or the other criteria outlined. The change in membership, and whether it is transformative, will be dealt with in the context of the criteria as laid down. Clearly if the change is simple, involving someone from the same representative body moving to the RPB, that will make no difference to the body's representativeness and ability to carry out its work. It would be foolish if every such straightforward change of membership had to be recognised by the Secretary of State.
Given that I gave the Committee a route map last week of the parts of each clause that will give rise to regulation or other secondary activity, I shall try in each stand part debate to refer back to that to let Members know where there will be subsequent
regulation. With that generosity of spirit in mind, I commend the clause to the Committee.
Question put and agreed to.
Clause 2 ordered to stand part of the Bill.