Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Bill

While I support everything that the noble Earl, Lord Howe, has said, I will speak specifically to Amendment No. 238SA, which would insert a new clause about the employment duty for LINks. The reason for the amendment is that some 10 or so days ago the noble Earl and I went to see the Minister in another place, Ann Keen. It was a new innovation to be asked to see the Minister together, rather than our separate parties being seen separately. At that meeting, we raised the issue of employment—who decides whether a LINk will be able to employ people and at what point. As yet, I have not been fully satisfied on that point. In discussion with Ministers, we have been assured time and again that a LINk will ultimately be able to employ people, even though the contracts may be held elsewhere. We have also been told that that will not be the case yet, because at the moment the host will do that at the setting-up stage. I would like the Minister to assure us that LINks will be able to employ people—she might already have said that—and perhaps when this will be so. Indeed, will contracts have to be held elsewhere, by the host, say, rather than by the LINk itself? That would be a considerable clarification, along with reassurance that there will be adequate money available to do it all.