Children and Young Persons Bill [HL]

The thing that continues to concern me, and perhaps some of my colleagues, is exactly how much of the money allocated by central government to local authorities is in fact spent on this area of work. The Minister gave the relevant figure. As a former director of social services, I know that local authorities get their allocation but the money is not necessarily spent on the service that central government wish because the latter is not in favour of ring fencing but of local authorities establishing their own definitions. That is where the contrast and comparisons might arise. Perhaps I sound as if I am against pilots but I am not. I am against some of the issues not being clarified in relation to the level playing field of funding—the question I have just asked illustrates that—and the way in which local authorities will set contracts. We know from present practice that there are serious issues both in the private and voluntary sectors about the setting of contracts, poor contracting practice and the central understanding about there being a uniformity across the pilots. That is what gives rise to much of the concern. Although we hear what the Minister says and have huge trust in him, and value the reassurance that he has given, he may not be in office tomorrow, and in three years’ time there may be a different view unless some of these things are clarified in discussion and later in guidance. Those are some of the issues that are causing us concern rather than our being totally resistant to pilots.