Natural Environment and Rural Communities Bill

That is a very useful correction and I am grateful to the Minister for that. So there is a question whether we need the Commission for Rural Communities at all. There is its cost—we have all seen the regulatory impact assessment. Of course, the merging of some Countryside Agency functions with rural development agencies and Natural England will save some money. But a cost will be attached to the Commission for Rural Communities continuing, which absolutely has to be justified. The claims are that the programme should pay for itself within three years of completion in 2007. I remind noble Lords that when the Government listened to the many voices from rural areas about the critical situation affecting affordable housing and then sought solutions, they did not turn to the Countryside Agency or to the new Commission for Rural Communities. They created yet another commission, which is chaired by Elinor Goodman. I am sure that her report will be very worth while, but that is an extremely good example of the Government’s ability to create and fund a commission study when there is a need to address a particular subject in rural areas and to conduct a very concentrated study on something that those elected in rural areas, be they MPs or councillors, have highlighted as pressing. I contend that there is no need for another very general quango that may itself commission yet other commissions. All this undermines the basic idea of democracy.