Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Bill

moved Amendment No. 238ZC: 238ZC: Clause 187, page 130, line 20, leave out ““different relevant authorities”” The noble Baroness said: The amendments in this group ought to be easier. Amendment No. 238ZC relates to what would be the new section about information to be provided to the Standards Board, which says: "““Different directions … may be given in relation to different relevant authorities or different descriptions of relevant authority””." I can understand, "““different descriptions of relevant authority””," which I take to be a shire, district, or London borough, but ““different relevant authorities”” seems to be potentially discriminatory against individual authorities. I do not understand why that is necessary and I hope that the Minister can set my mind at rest. Amendment No. 238ZD would add to the part of the new section that says that a, "““direction … may be varied or revoked by a subsequent direction of the Standards Board””," a suggestion that the Standards Board ought to comply with directions given by the Secretary of State. This is all part and parcel of my personal confusion, which I do not lay on anyone else, about the respective roles of the Secretary of State and of the Standards Board. We have talked about the track record of the Standards Board, and I have confessed that I have been prompted to table certain amendments by seeing its name. I hope that the noble Baroness may be able to help me. I beg to move.