Cornwall (Structural Change) Order 2008

I am extremely pleased that noble Lords with such powerful local connections and authenticity welcome the order. It is very good for the Government to be able to have that reflection on their judgments. I have a soft spot for Cornwall because I feel that we Celts are very special and usually do things effectively when we are left to get on with it. I also welcome what the noble Baroness said about the nature of local democracy. It is something that we should reflect on in terms of public opinion in these situations. It is very difficult; democracy is extremely untidy. It was part of the devolutionary principle that we would not dictate to local areas how they went about gathering the voices in those areas. We live with the consequences of that. The noble Lord, Lord Tyler, spoke passionately and eloquently. I am very happy to repeat what my right honourable friend said in the other place. This is very much at the leading edge of our devolution proposals; it has not been a series of one-off considerations but part of a movement to demonstrate that we really do want to take the next step and the one after, from devolution to double-devolution, not least in terms of neighbourhoods and local areas. He made it very clear that Cornwall in this position can speak with one voice, so it is in a very strong position to make the most of every other opportunity that comes along. He specifically referred to the sub-national economic review. That is work in progress, but it will be bound to look for ways in which we can put control into the hands of the sub-region as a way of generating its own intelligence and action about the labour market, local skills and business and all the other things that will deliver for Cornwall in future. With that coherence, it is extremely well placed to envisage what it wants to do and deliver on it.