Apprenticeships, Skills, Children and Learning Bill

I was not actually leaving that point. I am sorry, I did not mean to be discourteous, but I had not finished developing that point. I hear what the noble Lord, Lord De Mauley, says, when he talks about too many cooks in spoiling the broth. We must get the balance right in the provision of skills. People do not stay conveniently in one local authority. Hence, we have already agreed the need for sub-regional groups; no one has disputed that. It is now a question of ensuring that in the region as a whole we have the right mix of skills. Are the RDAs doing that in splendid isolation? No, they are not, they are required to consult with the bodies that I, and the noble Baroness, Lady Sharp, identified. I know that we will be accused of complexity and of adding layers of bureaucracy, but the proof of this particular pudding will be in the eating. These things were always complex. It is an illusion that in the past everything was simple. It is not like that. However, I agree that we have to ensure that what we are creating will not be needlessly complicated. We believe that the role of RDAs, which I have been describing this morning, will involve being responsive to local authorities and taking into account the views of sub-regional groups, employers, as represented on the sector skills councils, and other regional bodies.