Regulatory Enforcement and Sanctions Bill [HL]

Where a business has a presence in more than one local authority, be it a supermarket of the kind which we have discussed previously, with retail outlets in many parts of the country, or a manufacturer which has factories or depots on different sites in different parts of the country, there is tremendous benefit to the business and to the public interest in enforcing regulations fairly and reasonably and in having the primary authority scheme. It may normally be that Clause 24(1)(a) is complied with and a business is able to find a local authority which will agree to be the primary authority, but it would be a pity if the benefits to the public and business of the primary authority scheme were lost if it so happened that the business could not find a local authority that was willing to make a partnership agreement under Clause 24(1)(a)—hence the value of paragraph (b). Only if businesses have access to a primary authority partnership can we ensure that the consistency and co-ordination for which the various provisions in this part of the Bill are designed are achieved. Safeguards exist. The noble Baroness, Lady Hamwee, will notice that Clause 24(3) states that consultation with the authority and the regulating person must take place. Bearing that in mind, I think that it would be undesirable to lose Clause 24(1)(b).