London Olympic Games and Paralympic Games Bill

I hope that the Minister will not assure us that the amendment is unnecessary and that he will agree to it. I have no brief for the London Development Agency—as far as I am concerned, it can do as it pleases, although I entirely understand the concern of the noble Baroness. However, here we are dealing with the London Olympic Games and Paralympic Games Bill. It is important to carry the public forward all the time through the development phase. That will not happen if the agency does not meet in public; it is as simple as that. There will always be a suspicion that something underhand might happen. For a very long time, I worked in local government, as the noble Baroness still does. There are perfectly adequate protections within the Local Government Act definition regarding business that needs to be kept confidential for commercial reasons or private relationships with individuals where personal information might come out. That can all be kept perfectly secure. That is right and proper but the bulk of the agency’s business will be to discuss a subject of fundamental interest not only to Londoners but also, we hope, to people across the whole country. I hope that the Minister will either assure us that the amendment is unnecessary or say that he will accept it. Otherwise, I can foresee a problem, however well intentioned and however honourable every member may be. That applied across the whole of local government long before such phrases were thought necessary in local government legislation. None the less, they finally became necessary, and we would not want that backward-looking situation to apply to this body, which has a very important task to undertake not only for London but nationally. It will be much easier for it if the vast bulk of its business is properly held in public.