Greater London Authority Bill

My Lords, I hate to be the first to voice caution on the amendment. While it is enormously ingenious in shifting the decision on whether such an authority should be introduced to a subsequent occasion, that will presumably be done without further discussion. The matter could be brought back on an order, without anybody having to look at it again in the context of the time when it was decided that it would need to be implemented. Knowing as I do the difficulty involved in getting any order amended, I would be extremely concerned about leaving in the Bill provision for a power of this magnitude to be used in the future. We were not in favour of the previous amendment of the noble Lord, Lord Whitty, and we are not in favour of this one. If the noble Lord, Lord Warner, were to press it—I think that he will not, because he has spoken about returning to it at Third Reading—we would not support him in the Lobbies. Pretty good arrangements already exist in most parts of London. There is co-operation between London boroughs. Large contracts are already in place for the disposal of refuse. The plea behind the amendment relates to landfill and an increase in recycling rates. It is up to the boroughs, which are the bodies nearest to the residents, to make sure that recycling rates are improved, although I am bound to point out that London is a very difficult city as far as waste collection, particularly separating waste, is concerned, in that where there are large blocks of flats, large mansion blocks and large council estates it is often difficult to get the co-operation that one will get from people who are in houses and who will co-operate automatically. There are different problems in different parts of London. The local authorities need to be responsible for that. Large contracts are already being let by co-ordinating councils as waste authorities. Those have to be taken into account. If the situation were ever to arise again where it was thought necessary for consideration to be given to the Mayor having these powers, that should be in primary legislation at a later date. It should be debated and consulted on in far greater depth than we have had the opportunity to do in this Bill so far. I am not in favour of the amendment.