Greater London Authority Bill

I can never resist rising to a challenge, especially one posed by the noble Lord, Lord Campbell-Savours. The amendment would not do that. I remark to the noble Lord, Lord Harris, that if only that pressure could have been operated by the London boroughs on how the Mayor operates, we might be in a much happier position. The interesting thing about the amendment is that, earlier in our proceedings, the Government removed from the Bill the provision that the Mayor had to provide a final draft of the health strategy—I think. That was removed as being a procedure that was not required. I am not sure whether we protested very much at the time, but I was slightly surprised, because it seems to me that if you have a strategy, you must produce a final version. As the noble Baroness, Lady Hamwee, said, if enough Assembly Members manage to get together—that would be deeply unusual in itself—to say that there was something flawed in the Mayor's strategy, it would be much better if it were dealt with at that stage than that it got out to the wider body and became something to which people had to conform, have regard, or whatever. That would become a major problem. I again find myself in the unusual position of supporting the noble Lord, Lord Harris, on the amendment because I believe that there should be a role for the Assembly in scrutiny. Perhaps it does not normally hold the Mayor to account but, in this case, where the strategy will have such a wide impact on London boroughs, there is a great deal of merit in the amendment.