Clause 6
Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Bill
4:45 pm
Robert Syms (Shadow Minister (Local Government), Communities and Local Government; Poole, Conservative)
Essentially what happens is that boundary committee publishes a proposal, there is normally an inquiry, it considers the inquiry, gives a month for people to come back with further comments and usually goes with whatever the inquiry has decided. Under this proposal, there does not seem to be any inquiry. That means that if the boundary committee makes a proposal, having carried out consultations, there are four weeks for people to respond to it. But what happens during that four-week consultation, or with the three months under our amendment, which would give people more time? Does the boundary committee have to consider that and add it to the representations from the Secretary of State, or does the Secretary of State have to consider those further representations when she gets the main boundary committee submission?