Nick Raynsford (Greenwich & Woolwich, Labour)

I broadly support the purpose of the clause, which is to give the new agency powers to provide information, disseminate ideas and undertake research, thus carrying forward powers that are available to the Housing Corporation and English Partnerships. I seek guidance from my hon. Friend the Minister on whether he envisages any new areas in which research may be undertaken, information may be provided or ideas disseminated—[Interruption.]

Joe Benton (Bootle, Labour)

Order. The level of background noise is getting rather high.

Nick Raynsford (Greenwich & Woolwich, Labour)

Thank you, Mr. Benton.

I simply seek guidance on whether there are likely to be any new areas of initiative taken by the new agency. If so, what is the thinking behind that and what are the resource implications? I understand, from our debates on Tuesday on an earlier clause, that the agency will be able to recover reasonable costs by levying charges for providing information or research. It would help to know whether that is likely to involve any expansion of the agency’s activity and, if so, in which areas.

Iain Wright (Parliamentary Under-Secretary, Department for Communities and Local Government; Hartlepool, Labour)

My right hon. Friend raises an interesting point. Given that there needs to be a step change in what the agency does, in comparison with its predecessor organisations, I anticipate that it will work in new fields, such as project management. I understand that English Partnerships and the Housing Corporation already have such roles, but I imagine that there will be new and innovative research on project management and perhaps communication.

We have talked about how the agency will have to have a key role—a primary role, following my response to my right hon. Friend—in facilitating, enabling, partnership working and community engagement. I do not want to box the agency in on what it does, but I imagine that as a resource hub and repository of best practice, it will help people step up to the plate and local communities to become involved in planning permission. It will also help to ensure that infrastructure projects are understood and communicated as much as possible.

In our deliberations on clause 27 my hon. Friend the Member for Luton, South mentioned concerns that work at the Housing Corporation’s centre for research and market intelligence might be restricted if the agency were to undertake it using the powers in clause 41. The HCA would be able to take on the work of the CRMI under that clause and the following one, and would not be restricted in any way by the wording of clause 41. I hope that addresses my hon. Friend’s concerns, and that I have answered my right hon. Friend’s points about how the agency will provide research.