Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Bill

I hope the noble Earl, Lord Howe, will be proved wrong, and that the Minister will be able to reassure us. This is an important idea. There has been a lot of criticism recently that the third—that is, voluntary—sector has become almost too much part of state activity, and therefore its ability to be creative and think ahead of time about what will need attention will be stifled. It is indeed the voluntary sector that gets busy in those areas first. I see here a possibility, with co-operation and some basic funding, for new ideas and for harnessing the LINks in a way that is of national importance and picks out some of the issues that will be of crucial importance for the future. I hope the Minister will be able to assure us of that.