Children and Young Persons Bill [HL]

It happens to be the opening clauses. Perhaps I should apologise to the Committee for the fact that we did not put it at the back. If we had put it in the last six clauses rather than the first six, perhaps it would attract the level of attention that it deserves. This is important, because Parliament is giving new powers in respect of social work practices, but I stress again, coming back to the point made by the noble Earl, that in respect of the vast majority of children in care and those approaching the care system, it is the work of local authorities apart from the pilots that is going to matter. It will be the enhanced status of the social work profession that will matter. All those other measures set out in the Care Matters White Paper will apply. However, the Committee needs to be reassured that we are not asking Parliament to take powers in respect even of pilots where we do not believe that there is a proper case for piloting. As I have said, the 75-page report by the committee chaired by Professor Le Grand, which includes eminent leaders of local authorities and of the social work profession, more than meets the threshold to persuade us that this is a correct course to undertake on piloting.