Clause 2
Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Bill
10:45 am
Andrew Stunell (Shadow Secretary of State for the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (Communities and Local Government), Department for Communities and Local Government; Hazel Grove, Liberal Democrat)
I thank the Minister for givingway and I appreciate his thorough briefing on clauses 8 and 9. However, those clauses refer to a process that is triggered. Clause 8 (1) says:
The Boundary Committee may, either on its own initiative or at the request of the Secretary of State or a local authority, conduct a review”.
That is entirely different in concept and outcome than the proposal in clause 2 (1) that
“The Secretary of State may invite or direct any principal authority to make one of the following proposals”.
We are not proposing an amendment to clause 8 or 9, although those clauses will no doubt be discussed in due course. We are proposing something that goes to the heart of the Secretary of State’s power to invite, and indeed the Minister’s and the Minister’s successors’ power to invite. I have not done the homework on how many Local Government Ministers there have been in the past 10 years, but they come and go. I should like the Minister to address clause 2, not clause 8.