Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Bill

Perhaps not. Earlier in the passage of this Bill, the Minister referred to this part of the Bill about local area agreements as being organic. I hear her saying that anybody can join in, but reading the Bill and listening to most of this debate, ““organic”” is about the last thing that I think they are. In the next group of amendments but one we will come to the brick wall mentioned by the noble Lord, Lord Dixon-Smith. Listening to the debate, a point occurs to me which occurred earlier to my noble friend; I think it was why I was a little confused about the health references. The partners are all identified by where they operate from, not by the people to whom they provide services. That is dealt with in my noble friend’s next amendment. To be hung up on some of the definitions, as we have heard described, is distracting us terribly from what this should all be about. Although I recognise that the number of targets is reducing, if we did not have the targets we would not need this very tightly detailed provision. The targets are important because funding follows the targets. I am working myself up to say, ““Let’s scrap the lot of this and let the local authorities get on with it””. It comes back so often to the funding. One has to satisfy central government's desperately convoluted ways of setting their own targets for who should qualify for central funding. It always takes us back to financial arrangements—but, as it is 6.50 pm, I will not go there. There is a huge amount of over-legislation and detail here which is distracting us from the principle and detracting from the principle. There are many trees here and it is sometimes difficult to see the wood. I shall be interested to go back and read the criteria to which the Minister referred at the start of her response. It may enable us to stand back and look at just how this might be approached with less agony. Having said that, I beg leave to withdraw the amendment. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn.