John Healey (Minister of State (Local Government), Department for Communities and Local Government; Wentworth, Labour)

All members of the Committee accept that, as far as possible, the commissioners sitting on a panel will operate best if they operate collectively, reflecting the equal role of the members and the skills that they bring to the table in consideration of any particular application. At the same time, there are circumstances in which commissioners will disagree, and it may be that a vote on a decision will be necessary in order to avoid a deadlock. In those circumstances, a panel would take a decision by a majority and the lead  commissioner—the commissioner chairing the panel—would have a casting vote, if there were a tie.

In order to avoid confusion, significant splits and some of the drawbacks outlined by the right hon. Member for Skipton and Ripon, the Bill provides that once a decision has been taken, in the spirit of the ambition to see the panel and the commission operating collectively, all members of the panel will be bound by collective responsibility. The proposal to record and publicise votes in such circumstances would undermine that principle. I hope that the hon. Member for North Cornwall will not press the amendment to a vote.

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