Academies Bill [Lords]

I agree with my hon. Friend's point about the need for parents to be consulted, which relates to what the hon. Member for Bradford East (Mr Ward) said about the phrase"““persons as they think appropriate””" not being sufficient. Instead, the Bill should list groups such as parents and the local authority. If the Government had done that, it would have strengthened the Bill and meant that many of the difficulties that some of us have with it would have been to some extent ameliorated.