Housing and Regeneration Bill

moved Amendment No. 64A: 64A: Schedule 3, page 162, line 3, leave out paragraphs 19 to 26 The noble Lord said: This is a probing amendment, as noble Lords might imagine. It refers to Part 3 of Schedule 3, entitled ““Powers in relation to burial grounds and consecrated land etc.””. Part 3 provides the HCA with powers to use any ““land of the HCA””—which I presume means land that it owns, although I would like some clarification, because it would be important in relation to later amendments— "““which consists in, or forms part of, a burial ground””." The schedule proposes that: "““The HCA may use the land in any way which accords with planning permission despite … anything in any enactment relating to burial grounds … any obligation or restriction imposed under ecclesiastical law or otherwise in respect of burial grounds””," and so on. It seems draconian that the HCA can take over burial grounds and ignore all the other rules, regulations, laws of the land and ecclesiastical laws which everyone else who owns a burial ground has to comply with. I would be grateful if the Minister would explain why these powers are required and under what circumstances she envisages them being operated outside existing powers to use burial grounds for other purposes, whereby one has to go through a long and complicated procedure. Why should the HCA be exempt from that? I beg to move.