Clause 5 - Planning
London Olympics Bill
4:00 pm
Jacqui Lait (Shadow Minister (London), Local Government Affairs & Communities; Beckenham, Conservative)
The Minister alluded in his summing up of the debate on clause 4 to the purpose behind these amendments. There is a list of organisations within the local authority structure with whom the ODA must consult, but there is no broad statement about local authorities. I include the Greater London Authority in that. It might not like being defined in that way, but I do so for the purposes of this debate. I hope that the Minister will be able to give me an assurance that the local authorities as a bodyas opposed to the local highway authority, or the others that are listedwill be consulted, along with the GLA, because, significantly, they have been left out.
The Minister has just referred to Scotland. I understand that the Bill is going through the Scottish Parliament under the Sewell motion, but I wonder whether the Scottish local authorities should also be referred to. On the other hand, perhaps the Minister is planning to throw a bone to the Scottish Parliament by allowing it to amend the Bill so that it refers to the Scottish Parliament and the Scottish local authorities.
If the Minister has a moment to think about this matter, I would be happy to hear his views. This is a probing amendment so we will not seek to divide the Committee on it.