Schedule 1 - Constitution of public benefit corporations

Part of Health and Social Care (Community Health and Standards) Bill – in a Public Bill Committee at 3:00 pm on 13 May 2003.

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Photo of Adrian Bailey Adrian Bailey Labour/Co-operative, West Bromwich West 3:00, 13 May 2003

The whole point of my comments is that I do not want to get into a debate about such things; I do not feel that that is appropriate today. We have a rule, which is defined locally, that is inclusive and meets the needs of local people. That is why I caution against adopting a too prescriptive approach to the definition of membership, constituency, et cetera. In my experience of the co-operative movement, there is a wide range of membership qualifications, some of which are confined to people who are trading and some of which are confined to people who live locally.

For example, the Leeds Co-operative society has one category for the local election of directors and another category for the national membership base. Different models might suit different foundation trusts and areas, according to the geography, the social composition of the area or even the employee composition, which has been mentioned, so I caution against trying to be over-prescriptive. We must have a regulatory regime that is inclusive and relevant to the needs of the trust, regardless of the constituency or membership qualification. That is a better way to deal with the issue than by over-prescription from the centre.