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Local Transport Bill [Lords]
10:30 am
Stephen Hammond (Shadow Minister, Transport; Wimbledon, Conservative)
Welcome back to the Chair, Lady Winterton.
Clause 24 empowers the approvals board to hold inquiries. I envisage that those inquiries will be an important part of the work of the board. Members of the board will want to investigate the evidence provided to them by the local authority that is proposing the quality contracts scheme. They will want to examine any other representations made as part of the consultation process. They will also want to consult as widely as they consider necessary to reach an informed decision about whether to approve the scheme.
I hope, therefore, that my first substantive amendment to clause 24 will not prove controversial. Proposed new section 126C(4) provides that inquiries held by approval boards should be held in public. Proposed new subsections (8) and (9) provide that confidential commercial information should not be disclosed, which seems sensible to me. There is, however, a missing link, for it would be hard for the board to meet in public and discuss commercially sensitive information without disclosing such information. There may therefore be certain circumstances when it would not be appropriate for the board to meet in public.
My amendment would add the words “ Subject to subsection (8)” to the end of the provision that reads:
“Any inquiry held by the board for the purposes of section 126 must be held in public.”
The intention of the amendment, which I trust is not contentious, is to enable confidential commercial information to remain just that—confidential. I do not think that the Bill will allow that to happen.
Amendment No. 74 also relates to the provision that any inquiries must be held in public. At the end of proposed new subsection (4), the Bill says:
“This subsection is subject to any provision made by regulations.”
I am concerned to probe exactly what sort of regulations might affect the board’s ability to conduct its inquiries in public, other than those that would be tackled by amendment No. 73. Therefore, I look for guidance from the Minister on what regulations she is thinking of.