Clause 2 - Gating orders

Part of Clean Neighbourhoods and Environment Bill – in a Public Bill Committee at 2:45 pm on 18 January 2005.

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Photo of Ms Sue Doughty Ms Sue Doughty Shadow Minister (the Environment), Environment, Food & Rural Affairs 2:45, 18 January 2005

I have listened with care to the points that the Minister made. We got the result that we wanted, because we were probing to see what would happen in the regulations. In some areas, we got a clearer view. I continue to share the views expressed by the hon. Member for Vale of York about the clarity of information, particularly for the utilities. I hope that   that will find its way into regulation or into some form of advice so that the councils and people making gating orders will be encouraged to provide keyholder information and access information. That is important, and the case was well made.

I was a little bit sorry that the Minister dismissed quite so airily my concerns about mapping areas as being gated. I prefaced my comments by saying that that was part of the bigger picture. Within the scope of this Bill, we are talking about a small aspect. Certainly, these things cost money, but there is no guarantee that the information will be passed across in a formal way, and I remain concerned about that. I accept that the matter may be better dealt with elsewhere, but I felt that it was important to air it at this stage. We welcome the fact that it appears that there will be more regulation and more information, but I am still concerned that all the criteria in new section 129A(3) have to be met in order to have a gating order. I understand that the Minister has had experience in this matter, but I wonder whether we might be excluding some eventualities. We can revisit that point at a later stage.