Local Audit and Accountability Bill [HL]

My Lords, this is another quick one, I expect. This amendment relates to an offence under Clause ...

My Lords, Clause 21 gives auditors a right to access documents and information that they consider...

I am grateful to the noble Lord. I think his explanation confirms what I thought was an issue abo...

My understanding is that it means that the recovery of the reasonable costs does not automaticall...

I am grateful for that. I missed that part of the explanation originally. If we are not saying th...

Moved by

Lord Wills

17: After Clause 22, insert the following new Clause—

“Audi...

My Lords, both this amendment and Amendment 18A, which is grouped with it, seek to improve transp...

I speak briefly in support of my noble friend’s amendment concerning freedom of information. He h...

My Lords, I recognise the importance of this transparency issue. I suppose that I should start by...

First, I am very grateful to the Minister for that response and for the offer to talk to the Gove...

Before my noble friend withdraws his amendment, will the Minister clarify something? I think part...

I take the noble Lord’s cynicism about it always being a question of costs, although costs are no...

I am very grateful. My noble friend reinforces the point about the pathetic nature of the Governm...

Before my noble friend withdraws the amendment, what is the present position when a contract is l...

My clear understanding is that auditors do have access to the relevant accounts of the contractor...

Again, I am grateful to my noble friend, who has made an important point. We will return to these...

Moved by

Lord McKenzie of Luton

17A: After Clause 23, insert the following new Clause...

My Lords, the pre-legislative scrutiny committee reminds us that in many instances serious cases ...

My Lords, I shall respond briefly, but I can also pick up some extra points that the noble Lord r...

My Lords, again, I thank the Minister. I accept entirely that there is no attempt to dumb down th...

My Lords, exactly as happens at the moment, the Audit Commission directs whistleblowers to the re...

I am grateful for that and beg leave to withdraw the amendment.

Moved by

Lord McKenzie of Luton

17B: Schedule 7, page 60, line 13, leave out “before”...

My Lords, the amendment amends the requirement that a local auditor must notify a relevant author...

My Lords, the Bill retains the auditor’s duty to consider whether there are any issues on which h...

I thank the Minister for her reply. The point that I was trying to make was that, since foundatio...

My Lords, I am sorry if I did not make it clear that the NAO, while issuing the guidance, will al...

I thought that I said when moving the amendment that I recognised that in many instances there wo...

The noble Lord is right that the new framework does not replicate the Audit Commission’s indemnit...

I understand that; we have been through that before. I can see that it would not be the norm, but...

If I might add to my noble Friend’s question, will that not deter smaller firms from engaging in ...

My Lords, I am not sure that the Westminster case is very helpful now. We are a very long way dow...

I am grateful for those further points. I do not think we are a million miles apart on this; our ...

Moved by

Lord McKenzie of Luton

17D: Clause 26, page 18, line 10, leave out “thinks” ...

My Lords, Clause 26 draws on Section 16 of the Audit Commission Act. This allows a local governme...

My Lords, the Bill retains the rights of local government electors to question the auditor, as th...

My Lords, I will not pursue the issue. I was with the noble Baroness until the end, when the comm...

Moved by

Lord McKenzie of Luton

17E: Clause 27, page 18, line 35, at end insert—

My Lords, this amendment concerns the declaration that an item of account is unlawful. It draws o...

My Lords, there is a sort of déjà vu about this amendment. The power of surcharge, as the noble L...

My Lords, I think that I had better move swiftly on. I am grateful for that explanation and a bit...

Moved by

Lord McKenzie of Luton

17F: Schedule 8, page 67, line 20, at end insert—

My Lords, in moving the amendment, I shall speak also to Amendment 17FA. I have now noticed that ...

My Lords, the noble Lord is correct that Clause 7 dealt with this. However, I think he has a winn...

I am grateful to the Minister. I knew there was some reason why I moved this amendment. Can the M...

My Lords, I will certainly write, but I also think we will check. That seems to be the first thin...

I beg leave to withdraw.

Moved by

Lord McKenzie of Luton

17G: Schedule 8, page 69, line 23, leave out sub-para...

My Lords, this is a probing amendment concerning advisory notices. It would appear that this regi...

My Lords, my note is rather short; it is getting briefer by the minute. The Government think it i...

Indeed, the Minister has given me satisfactory explanations. It appears that my copy of Audit Com...

My Lords, we will check the matter the noble Lord has raised. I will write to him about that. He ...

I can exempt the Minister from writing on health service bodies. I am happy with the explanation ...