Greater London Authority Bill

I listened carefully to what the Minister said. Is the over-riding consideration that the Government simply do not want civil servants to be required to attend the Assembly, irrespective of the merits of this case? If it is, then we have to go back to the essential principle behind it. Is it right in principle that civil servants should not be required to attend Assembly meetings and that we should use the structure of the unelected strategic health authority, accountability to Ministers and accountability to Parliament through the Public Accounts Committee and the Health Select Committee? This amendment bears further consideration within the department because if I am wrong and it is not just the principle of civil servants going before the Assembly and is more to do with the merits of the case, the departmental officials should re-examine this before we get to the next stage of the Bill.