Environmental Offences (Use of Fixed Penalty Receipts) Regulations 2007

On the noble Lord’s point about parish councils, I understand that the regulations do not affect their position at all. There is no change. I take exception to the central point made by both noble Lords. I do not want to extend the debate, which I deliberately kept short, but freedoms and flexibilities offered to local government for increasing performance are a serious effort. Some 79 per cent of local authorities have three and four-star ratings. They know that such ratings give them much more freedom and flexibility without the heavy hand of government telling them what to do. The point is to raise standards. It is no stretch of the imagination to say that getting almost 80 per cent of local authorities to three and four-star ratings is a massive improvement on the situation a decade or more ago. There is no question about that. That is part of the prize. If you are a well run local authority that meets all the standards, you will be inspected less frequently and have more freedom to do what you want with the money that comes your way. Our job is to get everybody raised, which is part carrot and part stick. It is not ““discriminating”” against local authorities—that is probably the wrong word; it is an effort to raise standards. So far, the evidence of the past few years is that standards have been raised. Local government should be congratulated for what is a success by any stretch of the imagination. The regulations do not change the policy; we have changed only the nomenclature of the words for stars. I hope that I have answered all the questions, but if I have not, no doubt I will be told about it. On Question, Motion agreed to.