Local Audit and Accountability Bill

I shall speak to new clauses 1 and 2.

This is a better Bill for the scrutiny that it has re...

I appreciate the general points that the hon. Gentleman is making, but does he agree that the dem...

The hon. Lady makes an interesting and important point. I should perhaps declare an interest as a...

I wish to speak to new clauses 4 to 6, which stand in my name, and, without wanting to stray from...

I am pleased to have the opportunity to speak in support of new clause 2, which would add a consi...

The hon. Gentleman seems to be talking about large private companies. Subsection (4) of new claus...

No, I am not. As my hon. Friend the Member for Corby (Andy Sawford) said in opening the debate, t...

I rise to support the shadow Minister, my hon. Friend the Member for Corby (Andy Sawford), on new...

Order. As interesting as this may be, we are discussing audit. I know that the subject of Dame Sh...

Indeed I am, Mr Deputy Speaker, and I am grateful for your guidance. I was just about to conclude...

Will the hon. Gentleman clarify the meaning of proposed subsection (1) of new clause 2? It states...

It means documents relating to the contracts under which companies are working for the local auth...

My hon. Friend is right in his interpretation of the new clause. Clause 26 on the inspection of d...

I am grateful to my hon. Friend for that clarification. I hope that provides the reassurance Gove...

I will respond first to the new clauses tabled by the hon. Member for Corby (Andy Sawford) before...

Does the Minister agree that perception is important, and that by not subjecting private sector a...

What is important—I think this is what the hon. Gentleman was trying to say in a roundabout way—i...

I have heard what the Minister has said about transparency of contracts, but is he saying that if...

It is not for me to prejudge a contract that a local authority might agree to, but it is true tha...

That has not answered my question—I was not asking what local authorities should do. If a local a...

In principle, yes, but it is not for me to prejudge how a local authority would contract. If it c...

That response is instructive. I think the Minister is saying that in certain circumstances that i...

Will the hon. Gentleman give way?

Order. Interventions need to be shorter, but I certainly do not need instruction from Back Benche...

As I said, the Freedom of Information Act applies to local authorities, but we are not extending ...

On a point of clarification, will the guidance apply to subcontractors as well as contractors? In...

I will not prejudge the guidance before we publish it, but I am sure that the hon. Gentleman, if ...

I am grateful to the Minister for that information and for his offer of co-operation. Does he hav...

I cannot give the hon. Gentleman those figures off the top of my head, but I will come back to hi...

I am grateful for that information, but may I suggest that that review of whistleblowing should p...

The hon. Gentleman makes a fair point, and he will appreciate that it is now noted and on record....

Thank you, Madam Deputy Speaker, for allowing me a moment to reply.

The amendments, particu...

I beg to move amendment 14, page 26, line 11, leave out

‘one or more specified local author...

With this it will be convenient to discuss the following:

Amendment 15, page 26, line 25, l...

Clause 39, to which the three amendments relate, includes provisions on local authority publicity...

Three years ago, the Select Committee conducted an inquiry into the whole issue of local authorit...

My hon. Friend, who chairs the Select Committee, is right. I think that there is often a compleme...

I listened to much of what the hon. Gentleman said in Committee and followed his train of argumen...

I am surprised that the hon. Gentleman did not pick this up during our three Committee sittings o...

Will the hon. Gentleman give way?

I am going to make some progress, because the hon. Gentleman spoke extensively on these provision...

This is barmy. It is absolutely crackers that we are spending parliamentary time on this matter. ...

I rise to speak against this Orwellian clause and in favour of the amendment tabled by my hon. Fr...

The hon. Gentleman is making some cogent points. If that photograph had appeared on a Member of P...

With the greatest of respect, I think the hon. Gentleman is talking through his hat. I am not sur...

I am the secretary of the National Union of Journalists group in Parliament. There needs to be a ...

Indeed. There is a happy partnership between many local authorities and the newspaper in their lo...

I rise to support amendments 14 to 16. Nothing is more likely to get the blood rising in the body...

First, let me be clear that good communication between a local authority and the public is import...

The Minister is right to say that the code seeks to prevent using money on things that are politi...

I suspect that deep down inside, the hon. Gentleman—we almost became hon. Friends in Committee—pr...

Will the Minister tell us the name of one newspaper group that has approached the Department to c...

I suggest that the hon. Gentleman looks at Hansard for the reports of our proceedings in Committe...

Will the Minister give way?

No, I shall make a little progress. The hon. Gentleman was keen to make progress during his speec...

The Minister is making some sweeping comments. I would be interested to know whether he can tell ...

I am sure that the hon. Gentleman will have done his homework and will realise that for the Gover...

What a shocking response. We will not press amendments 14 and 16, but we will press amendment 15 ...

We now come to the next group of amendments. The hon. Member for North East Cambridgeshire (Steph...

I beg to move amendment 6, page 30, line 32, at end insert—

‘(13A) Subsections (14) to (16)...

With this it will be convenient to discuss the following:

Government amendments 7 and 8.