Yvette Cooper (Minister of State (Housing and Planning), Department for Communities and Local Government; Pontefract & Castleford, Labour)

On a point of order, Mr. O’Hara. I want simply to put on the record an apology to Committee members. On Second Reading, we undertook to publish a draft order on the Mayor’s planning powers in time for us to be able to discuss it in Committee when we reached the relevant clause of the Bill. We published the draft order on Tuesday and made it available to the Chairs of the Committee, but unfortunately, due to confusion, it was not circulated to members of the Committee, although it should have been. I want to apologise to members of the Committee for that.

We did today, as soon as we became aware that Committee members had not received the draft order, circulate copies of the draft order. If any Committee members do not have a copy of it, they should please contact me and I will ensure that they receive a copy as speedily as possible, as we had wanted to ensure that Committee members had copies in time for the deadline for tabling amendments to the relevant provision of the Bill, which is the end of today.

I thank both Opposition parties, which I know have had discussions through the usual channels about the matter, for their understanding and for accommodating us.

Michael Gove (Shadow Minister (Housing), Communities and Local Government; Surrey Heath, Conservative)

It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship again, Mr. O’Hara. May I put on the record my thanks to the Minister for the gracious way in which she has acknowledged that this situation has arisen? Opposition Members completely understand that there was no intention to mislead or to impede the flow of the Committee’s proceedings—we know that this is just one of those things.

More broadly, and depending, obviously, on progress in Committee, we will have an opportunity to discuss all the planning clauses, I hope, next week. During that time, there will be an opportunity to debate the order. There are amendments standing in our name that would delete specific clauses. If for any reason our amendments are not accepted by the Government, we recognise that there may be an opportunity to propose more specific amendments on Report with the aim of amending the order once those clauses stand part of the Bill. I hope that that will be acceptable. If for any reason it is not, perhaps I could be given guidance to that effect.

Tom Brake (Shadow Minister, Department for Communities and Local Government; Carshalton & Wallington, Liberal Democrat)

I, too, thank the Minister and her team for the efforts that were made to explain what had happened. I now have on file the Minister’s mobile phone number, but I will not seek to abuse it.

Edward O'Hara (Knowsley South, Labour)

All those expressions of mutual good will bode well for the further progress of the Committee. I thank Committee members for that.