Public Bodies Bill committee stage: day nine
10 March 2011
Members of the Lords disagreed to Schedule 7 – the list organisations that can be added to the other lists of public bodies that will be abolished, merged or reformed and Clause 18 – powers to allow the Secretary of State to change the constitutional arrangements of the Forestry Commissioners.
- Watch the debate: Public Bodies Bill committee stage, day nine
- Lords Hansard: Read a transcript of the debate
- Ninth Marshalled List of Amendments to be moved in Committee as at 7 March 2011
- Amendments to be moved in Committee Supplementary to the Ninth Marshalled List as at 8 March 2011
Amendments 84, 89, 94A, 95A, 98, 99A, 100, 105ZA, 113AA and 113AB, 113BA to 113BC, 113E, 114 and 118 were agreed to without voting.
Members of the Lords disagreed without voting to Clause 10: Procedure for orders, Schedule 7: Bodies and offices subject to power to add to other Schedules, Clause 17: Powers relating to functions of Secretary of State, Clause 18: Powers relating to functions of Forestry Commissioners and Clause 19: Procedure for orders under sections 17 and 18.
Amendments 175ZA, along with Government amendments 175C, 175D, 175E, 197 and 182 were also agreed to without votes. Amendment 175C, moved by Lord Henley, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, removes references to the Forestry Commission from Clauses 23 and 24.
Report stage of the Public bodies Bill is scheduled for Wednesday 23 March.
Committee stage: day eight
Debate covered amendments Schedule 1 to 4 and clauses 2 to 4 of the Bill. Amendments concerning proposals to merge bodies listed under Schedule 2, which includes the Youth Justice Board, the Film Council, British Film Institute and Office of Communications (Ofcom), were discussed.
Amendments 64, 72A, 74A, 76 and 79A were agreed to without voting.
- Watch the debate: Public Bodies Bill committee stage, day seven
- Watch the debate: committee stage continued
- Lords Hansard: Read a transcript of the debate
- Lords Hansard: debate continued
- Eighth Marshalled List of Amendments to be moved in Committee as at 3 March 2011
Committee stage: day seven
Amendments to Clause 1: Power to abolish: bodies and offices were discussed.
- Watch the debate: Public Bodies Bill committee stage, day seven
- Watch the debate: committee stage continued (amendment 49)
- Watch the debate: committee stage continued (amendment 59)
- Lords Hansard: read a transcript of the debate
- Lords Hansard: debate continued (amendment 49)
- Lords Hansard: debate continued (amendment 59)
- Further Revised Seventh Marshalled List of Amendments to be moved in Committee as at 24 February 2011
Members of the Lords agreed without voting to Amendment 47 – moved by Lord Clark of Windermere, a former chair of the Forestry Commission – to remove regional advisory committees established under the Forestry Act 1967 from the bodies listed in Schedule 1. Clause 1 gives ministers power to abolish bodies in Schedule 1.
Lord Judd and Lord Taylor of Holbeach supported the amendment.
Explaining the amendment, Lord Clark said that with amendment 47 the House was ‘also discussing a series of amendments which relate to forestry issues.’ He said that regional advisory committees performed the function of allowing ‘thinking on a regional basis’ so that national policies could be devolved from ‘England level down to the regions.’
Lord Judd explained that it was ‘important for advisory committees to continue’ as a ‘significant way in which to give meaning to this sense of ownership by the people as a whole, because it is possible for the local arguments to be heard and taken into account.’
Further information
The Public Bodies Bill grants new powers to allow Ministers to reform, merge or abolish public bodies.
- Bills before Parliament: Public Bodies Bill
- Lords news: Public Bodies Bill committee stage continues in Lords
- Lords news: Public Bodies Bill receives second reading
The Public Bodies Bill has been the subject of reports by two House of Lords select committees. The Delegated Powers and Regulatory Reform Committee published reports on 15 and 23 November 2010. The Constitution Committee published a report on 3 November 2010.
- Lords news: Public Bodies Bill raises serious concerns (Delegated Powers Committee)
- Lords news: Public Bodies Bill grants ministers 'inappropriate powers' (Delegated Powers Committee)
- Committee news: Committee publishes report on Public Bodies Bill (Constitution Committee)
The committee stage of a Bill involves the detailed line-by-line examination of the separate parts – clauses and schedules.