Written evidence to be reported to the House
Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Bill
2:16 pm
Phil Woolas: First, Mr. Chope, I thank you and wish you well in the Chair. We are very proud to be the first Ministers to give evidence to a Standing Committee.
Alistair, could I say what a clever question that was? Government Departments have relationships with each other, as well as with Parliament and, in our case, with local government. Our strategy has been to ensure that Government across Whitehall come with us. We are trying to join up the governance and delivery of services at local level, so it is necessary that the consultation and the effort of that consultation are deep and broad and real. By the end of the consultation on the White Paper, we were being criticised for having taken too long. We therefore saw it as a sign of success.
It would be inconsistent and dishonest to say that the evidence that we have heard has not influenced thinking. There are a number of areas where the Government genuinely have an open mind about how best to achieve the objectives on which we think there is a consensus. We have spent particular effort in building a consensus across the parties in the Local Government Association. I was particularly pleased by its representatives’ evidence on the first of their three major points. I cannot say that, and then not take its second point seriously. So the answer is yes. I personally think that it has been valuable and I hope that this sitting is, too. I am conscious of not wanting to take up all of your time.