Regulatory Enforcement and Sanctions Bill [HL]

I support the amendment. To impose the burden on local authorities of having to go through the hundreds of provisions covered by the Bill is unreasonable and it should not be imposed. I have looked at the guide to which we have been referred before and I see in paragraph 67 that the LBRO is going to do this. I wish it luck. I have a copy of a letter from the noble Lord, Lord Jones, which he wrote to the noble Lord, Lord Goodhart, as chairman of the Delegated Powers and Regulatory Reform Committee, concerning the European instruments referred to in Clause 4. In the letter the noble Lord, Lord Jones, said: "““I believe that listing all the regulations whether in the Bill or by statutory instrument would be impractical: regulations under ECA 1972 are made very frequently and any list would very quickly be out of date””." That relates only to European communities legislation by subordinate instrument; it does not take account of the copious new penalties that are imposed in primary legislation and which come from all kinds of departments over the whole range of government. The LBRO could probably do this but I would like an assurance that it will have the manpower and resources to do so and the lines of communication to all the government departments who create these penalties to make sure that it has covered the field. I do not mind whether it is the solution of the noble Lord, Lord Jones, or the one in the guidance, but local authorities should not have to do this. They are not responsible for the great deluge of legislation that is put upon them to enforce and they are capable of missing some, as I fear I know. Therefore it would be very much better if it was done by a central authority.