My Lords, my noble friend Lady Hayter has laid out the risks facing this country from no deal. Despite all the Prime Minister’s clichés, it is clear from the Statement’s tone and lack of substance that we are nowhere near resolving the fundamental issues necessary for a good deal, and...

My Lords, my noble friend Lady Hayter has laid out the risks facing this country from no deal. Despite all the Prime Minister’s clichés, it is clear from the Statement’s tone and lack of substance that we are nowhere near resolving the fundamental issues necessary for a good deal, and...

My Lords, it is a privilege to take part in this debate, and sobering to listen to the experiences of noble Lords around the House. I support the amendment in the name of my noble friend Lady Smith. She did an outstanding job of explaining the interrelationship between the three...

My Lords, it is a privilege to take part in this debate, and sobering to listen to the experiences of noble Lords around the House. I support the amendment in the name of my noble friend Lady Smith. She did an outstanding job of explaining the interrelationship between the three...

My Lords, it is a pleasure to follow the noble and learned Lord, Lord Mackay of Clashfern. I could not agree with him more on what he said about the Constitution Committee. It has done a lot of the Government’s thinking for them. I hope that the Minister may be...

My Lords, it is a pleasure to follow the noble and learned Lord, Lord Mackay of Clashfern. I could not agree with him more on what he said about the Constitution Committee. It has done a lot of the Government’s thinking for them. I hope that the Minister may be...

My Lords, this has been a very powerful and forensic debate. It is a challenge to be the last Back-Bencher to speak, and the last to have had the privilege of serving on the Select Committee. I said rather casually at the beginning of the process that it was a...

My Lords, this has been a very powerful and forensic debate. It is a challenge to be the last Back-Bencher to speak, and the last to have had the privilege of serving on the Select Committee. I said rather casually at the beginning of the process that it was a...

Amendment 157G 157G: Clause 67, page 50, line 20, leave out paragraphs (a) and (b) and insert— "(a) the regional spatial strategy for the region subsisting immediately before that day, and (b) the regional economic strategy for the region subsisting immediately before that day."

Amendment 157G 157G: Clause 67, page 50, line 20, leave out paragraphs (a) and (b) and insert— "(a) the regional spatial strategy for the region subsisting immediately before that day, and (b) the regional economic strategy for the region subsisting immediately before that day."

Amendment 99 99: After Clause 29, insert the following new Clause— "Joint overview and scrutiny committees (1) In the Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Act 2007 (c. 28), for section 123 (joint overview and scrutiny committees: local improvement targets) substitute— "123 Joint overview and scrutiny committees (1) The...

Amendment 99 99: After Clause 29, insert the following new Clause— "Joint overview and scrutiny committees (1) In the Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Act 2007 (c. 28), for section 123 (joint overview and scrutiny committees: local improvement targets) substitute— "123 Joint overview and scrutiny committees (1) The...

Clause 30: Functions of joint overview and scrutiny committees Amendment 100 100: Clause 30, leave out Clause 30 Amendment 100 agreed.

Clause 30: Functions of joint overview and scrutiny committees Amendment 100 100: Clause 30, leave out Clause 30 Amendment 100 agreed.

My Lords, these amendments cover a number of detailed aspects of the process for approving revisions to regional strategy, and I can understand the intentions behind them. Noble Lords want to strengthen the consultation requirements on the Secretary of State before approving or revising the draft strategy. It is absolutely...

My Lords, these amendments cover a number of detailed aspects of the process for approving revisions to regional strategy, and I can understand the intentions behind them. Noble Lords want to strengthen the consultation requirements on the Secretary of State before approving or revising the draft strategy. It is absolutely...

My Lords, this amendment by the noble Lord, Lord Hanningfield, seeks to remove Clause 67, on regional strategy preparation. I take the point that the noble Baroness, Lady Hamwee, has just made: without Clause 67, the effect is that Part 5 of the Bill cannot be implemented, so the amendment...

My Lords, this amendment by the noble Lord, Lord Hanningfield, seeks to remove Clause 67, on regional strategy preparation. I take the point that the noble Baroness, Lady Hamwee, has just made: without Clause 67, the effect is that Part 5 of the Bill cannot be implemented, so the amendment...

My Lords, what an interesting and lively debate. Many of the amendments relate to the composition of the boards and the danger of prescription. We have tried in the arrangements that we propose to give regions greater flexibility to devise detailed administrative arrangements which suit their regional circumstances. That came...

My Lords, what an interesting and lively debate. Many of the amendments relate to the composition of the boards and the danger of prescription. We have tried in the arrangements that we propose to give regions greater flexibility to devise detailed administrative arrangements which suit their regional circumstances. That came...

My Lords, the noble Earl, Lord Attlee, was absolutely right: we had a very good debate last Wednesday and we put many things on the record. I am happy to reiterate our concern today, without going into any detail, about the predicament of some businesses faced with unexpectedly large backdated...

My Lords, the noble Earl, Lord Attlee, was absolutely right: we had a very good debate last Wednesday and we put many things on the record. I am happy to reiterate our concern today, without going into any detail, about the predicament of some businesses faced with unexpectedly large backdated...

My Lords, this is an important set of amendments. I am grateful for the opportunity presented by the noble Baroness to address some issues raised by them. The amendments are detailed and, as she said, intended to strengthen the requirement for regional strategy to be based on sustainable development principles....

My Lords, this is an important set of amendments. I am grateful for the opportunity presented by the noble Baroness to address some issues raised by them. The amendments are detailed and, as she said, intended to strengthen the requirement for regional strategy to be based on sustainable development principles....

My Lords, the amendments that we are considering, in this group and in a later group, relate to the powers of the Secretary of State, which we debated thoroughly in Committee. In speaking to my Amendments 157G and 164G, I shall have to address the Conservative amendments, although not the...

My Lords, the amendments that we are considering, in this group and in a later group, relate to the powers of the Secretary of State, which we debated thoroughly in Committee. In speaking to my Amendments 157G and 164G, I shall have to address the Conservative amendments, although not the...

My Lords, I am quite clear about that but it is always nice to hear from my noble friend. I look forward to the next group of amendments. As I was saying, it is understandable why the noble Lord has brought back these amendments on the preparation of regional strategies...

My Lords, I am quite clear about that but it is always nice to hear from my noble friend. I look forward to the next group of amendments. As I was saying, it is understandable why the noble Lord has brought back these amendments on the preparation of regional strategies...

My Lords, I beg the noble Lord’s pardon.

My Lords, I beg the noble Lord’s pardon.

My Lords, I understand why the noble Lord has tabled these amendments again.

My Lords, I understand why the noble Lord has tabled these amendments again.

My honourable friend the Minister for Local Government (John Healey) has made the following Written Ministerial Statement. Earlier this year, Parliament debated and approved structural change orders to create from 1 April 2009 nine new unitary councils—Bedford Borough Council, Cheshire East Council, Cheshire West and Chester Council, Central Bedfordshire Council,...

My honourable friend the Minister for Local Government (John Healey) has made the following Written Ministerial Statement. Earlier this year, Parliament debated and approved structural change orders to create from 1 April 2009 nine new unitary councils—Bedford Borough Council, Cheshire East Council, Cheshire West and Chester Council, Central Bedfordshire Council,...

I do not think that the parallel with emergency powers holds good because we are in the middle of a very considered process here which will involve a lot of people having their say, and I should have thought they would want to do that. The noble Lord is right,...

I do not think that the parallel with emergency powers holds good because we are in the middle of a very considered process here which will involve a lot of people having their say, and I should have thought they would want to do that. The noble Lord is right,...

This amendment, in the context of Welsh housing, probes the extent of the Bill and the separation between the functions of the regulator in England and the Welsh Minister in Wales. It would help if I set out clearly the position on the territorial extent of Part 2 of the...

This amendment, in the context of Welsh housing, probes the extent of the Bill and the separation between the functions of the regulator in England and the Welsh Minister in Wales. It would help if I set out clearly the position on the territorial extent of Part 2 of the...

““Functions”” includes ““powers””; I was using the words interchangeably as I spoke. I may well be able to offer the noble Baroness a written list of powers/functions that will fall into this category. I am very happy to do that.

““Functions”” includes ““powers””; I was using the words interchangeably as I spoke. I may well be able to offer the noble Baroness a written list of powers/functions that will fall into this category. I am very happy to do that.