Clause 33
Housing and Regeneration Bill
6:30 pm
Andrew George (St Ives, Liberal Democrat)
I enjoyed the point made by the right hon. Member for North-West Hampshire about the clause being a veritable list. Indeed it is, but it does not include provision of housing. The objects of the HCA in clause 2(1)(c) make reference to the
“development of communities in England or their continued well-being”,
which clause 33 is clearly intended to address. My questions for the Minister return to the point that my hon. Friend the Member for Montgomeryshire made a moment ago about constraining mission creep. Who will decide how to apportion the agency’s resources so that it can concentrate on its primary purpose? How will it make those decisions? How will it fund the provision of cemeteries and recreational services? How will those interplay with the role of local authorities? Will it undermine statutory provision elsewhere, or bail out local authorities from those provisions?
A moment ago, in relation to the stand part debate on clause 30, the Minister referred back to questions that I raised about the continuing work of English Partnerships in relation to the provision of work spaces, which is not mentioned specifically in the list in clause 33. One would assume, therefore, that it has been overlooked in the list. This is purely a probing stand part debate, but it would be very helpful if he could address the need for clarity in the interrelationships between the HCA and the communities that it will serve.