Greater London Authority Bill

My Lords, I understand that the £19 million was subject to the Comprehensive Spending Review, which is being announced today. It was a pretty firm commitment from the Minister that the Government had already committed £19 million for 2008-09. That is the basis of the fund as I understand it. The amendment is technical, as I am sure the Minister understands, because the matter needs to be brought back to the House. The fact is that this is something that the House is willing to happen because of the lack of consultation between the departments. That question was raised in this House. The fact is that something has been willed, but now it looks as if the Mayor is withdrawing from the whole scheme. The Minister has not really addressed that. In September this year, only two months ago, the Mayor announced—he did not slither it out but actually announced it—that he was withdrawing all support and co-operation from the London Waste and Recycling Board. As we know at the moment, because we are going through the Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Bill, there is plenty of legislation in which things happen well in advance of that legislation becoming an Act. It was clear to me when we discussed this that it was very much the Government’s intention that this board and the fund should be there. This is a large sum of money just to be wafting away on the back of the suggestion that things will come together when the Bill is an Act. The Mayor has said that he will not support this board. That is what I am asking the Minister about. What action will be taken to bring this board about and to secure the money for the waste disposal fund to support the Government’s initiatives on waste disposal for London, as we all discussed? This is going awry. The amendment is the only way in which I can get the matter before the House, but I may have to bring forward other questions in future. For the moment I am asking the Minister why this has gone awry and whether he is aware that it has gone awry. What will be the outcome of the money that has already been committed and I hope will continue to be committed in the Comprehensive Spending Review today? If the money is there, a fund is needed to put it into and a board is needed to run that fund. The board has been set up within legislation but appears to be falling apart. I do not know whether the Minister can answer any of that. The matter needs further discussion, but I thought that it was appropriate to raise it today in view of the legislation that is going through the House.