Greater London Authority Bill

My Lords, this takes me back to the days when we regularly went on late. We all had an eye on the clock because we all wanted to get just beyond 10.40 pm, so I do not feel guilty for intervening. It might assist the process. I said earlier that this current porridge of a situation has been described to me as ““QCs’ paradise””. That might appeal to the noble Lord, Lord Rooker, who has an appropriately cynical view of the way that the legal profession goes about these things, seeking a variety of views and extending the debate on them. It sounds as if the Government’s legal advice is entirely contrary to that which has been received in other quarters. As I understand it, the requisite numbers under Schedule 28 have to be appointed, and the Mayor has declined to make those appointments. It confuses the appointment of Assembly Members, from a limited pool, with the appointment of borough representatives who are nominees of the borough councils, which is a wider pool. I ask noble Lords’ forgiveness for reading from a piece of modern technology, but it has enabled me to receive this statement. It says that it is for that reason that the Mayor has asked two groups to come up with a revised list of nominations. That sounds to me as though he has still not made the appointments. It is not a matter of a quorum because the appointments have not been made to enable the authority to exist. However, the QCs will go on arguing about that point. As it is almost 20 minutes to 11, I should give the noble Baroness the opportunity to finish her speech, but I felt, having that piece of information, that it was important to add it to the record of this evening’s debate.