Of course—I was only teasing. I understand and appreciate that. During the course of Committee thus far—I hope and am sure that noble Lords will recognise this—it has always been my intention to listen very carefully to contributions by all noble Lords regarding all elements of the Bill.
I will briefly outline where the Government stand on Clause 21. Again, I am sure we agree that private sector innovation has achieved a great deal for the bus sector. Across the country, operators are introducing smart cards, installing wi-fi and co-ordinating timetables, and some 89% of buses now comply with accessibility standards. But, as we have said previously, there is a requirement to ensure 100% compliance. All this progress is down to operators taking decisions that benefit passengers. Again, that sentiment is shared by all noble Lords. It shows that deregulation of the industry has achieved a great deal for passengers.
I am sure that many recognise that private bus companies, with some exceptions, which I acknowledge and which the noble Lord, Lord Kennedy pointed out, such as Reading Buses and Nottingham City Transport to name but a few existing municipal bus companies, have continued to deliver local bus services for more than 30 years. We want to see them continue to thrive.
The Bill introduces a number of new tools that will enable local authorities to take more control over the bus services that are provided in their area. I assure noble Lords that we want to get the balance right between the local authority influence and the role that the private sector bus operators can play, and ensure both are incentivised to deliver the best services for passengers.
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Our view is that authorities, with the knowledge of the local area and needs, and controls over other aspects such as local roads and parking policies, are well placed to help shape and influence services that are provided, with private sector bus operators using their operational experience to deliver services on the road. That is why we think that the commissioning and provision of bus services should be kept separate,
and it will help ensure we retain the strengths of the private sector. As the noble Lord, Lord Berkeley, acknowledged—perhaps making a different point to the one I am making—it is similar to what happens in the railway industry, where the Secretary of State is the franchising authority and, among others, is therefore prohibited from being a franchisee.
The clause, therefore, prohibits local authorities setting up new municipal bus companies. I have focused on a couple of points that the noble Baroness specifically raised, such as that the clause may prohibit authorities setting up their own companies. But it would not prevent them working in partnership, or purchasing shares in a failing company, which was another of her points. It is also important to note—my noble friend Lord Attlee raised this—that existing municipal bus companies will not be affected by the clause.
I am fully mindful of the fact that this is perhaps an area for discussion and further debate. I suggest to noble Lords that we continue that discussion and debate in advance of Report. There may be further clarification and I hope we can reach agreement on this, otherwise Report will perhaps be an occasion where we differ on the way we should progress on what is—I acknowledge the support we have achieved across the House—a Bill that seeks to put passengers at the heart of the provision of local bus services. I hope that what I have said—in part if not in whole—has reassured noble Lords that we continue to consider our position, but we remain of the opinion that the clause should continue to stand part of the Bill. On that basis I hope that, at this stage at least, noble Lords will be minded to withdraw their opposition.