Housing and Regeneration Bill

I adopt the noble Baroness’s phrase and say that I associate these Benches with the spirit of the amendment; I agree with pretty much everything that she said, including on board membership. I think that those who have their name to the amendments are saying that a focus on quality should be mainstreamed throughout the organisation. It is not enough to make it one person’s job or to confine it to the board. It is rather more important that those in an executive capacity have an understanding of, and experience—or training if necessary—in, the issue. The noble Lord, Lord Best, rightly pointed out that it is about the powers of the agency—there is no good in fine words, unless there is the power to say, ““It must not be that and it must be better””. Sustainability covers quality, if only for the rather simple reason that a building of quality is one which lasts. I shall not prolong this debate, as I suspect that this may not be the only occasion when we focus on this issue in our proceedings. However, I say also that I share some personal reservations—I have no idea what party policy is—about design review panels, which I mentioned in the debate introduced by the noble Lord, Lord Howarth of Newport, not so long ago. It is entirely proper that design is raised in the Bill, and it is a delight to see such an interest being shown in it.