Sustainable Communities Bill

That is absolutely right. It is both my policy intention and, I am told, the practical impact of the measure, and that is desirable, especially when combined with the powers to co-operate in the Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Bill, although I do not want to over-egg those, because they are duties to co-operate in setting goals. The processes to achieve such functions, in so far as they exist at the moment, are cumbersome, bureaucratic, opaque and the stuff of late-night red boxes full of immense detail. They benefit neither the Government nor the local area. The right hon. Member for East Yorkshire is not in the Chamber, but I could wax lyrical about the Bridlington harbour board, where the development of Bridlington was delayed because there was no set process. the hon. Member for Kettering gives us a good example of what can happen. Let me make the position on Wales clear. We all have the idea that we should empower Wales to apply the Bill’s measures if it wants to. To that extent, the Bill covers Wales. However, as a result of an amendment tabled by the hon. Member for Ruislip-Northwood, the Bill was changed in Committee on 23 May. The Government of Wales Act 2006 and the local government Bill give power to the Assembly to legislate in many local government matters. I am advised that the Assembly could enact a version of this Bill, and I will need to discuss that with my colleagues in the Welsh Government. In essence, the Bill does not impose itself on Wales, but measures taken in the 2006 Act and the local government Bill, should Parliament adopt it, will allow the measures in this Bill to be taken up in Wales. That is an important matter for my hon. Friend the Member for Llanelli (Nia Griffith) and others. It is one of those devolved matters on which we have to decide whether we should tell the Assembly how to act. The same problem arises with the interaction of the proposed local panels.