HC Deb 02 July 1986 vol 100 cc1106-7

Lords amendment: No. 8, in page 18, line 21, at end insert— (3) Where a principal council have entered into an agreement under this section, the accounts of that council shall include a separate account in respect of that agreement and

  1. (a) in England and Wales, section 24 of the Local Government Finance Act 1982 (rights of inspection) shall apply in relation to any such separate account 1107 as it applies in relation to any statement of accounts prepared by the council pursuant to regulations under section 23 of that Act; and
  2. (b) in Scotland, sections 101 and 105 of the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973 (rights of inspection and regulations as to accounts) shall have effect as if any reference to an abstract of the accounts of an authority included a reference to any such separate account."

Mr. Michael Spicer

I beg to move, That this House doth agree with the Lords in the said amendment.

Clause 22 makes provision for a principal council to provide a very limited range of services to an associated public airport company at proper commercial charges. In Committee several hon. Members, in particular my hon. Friends the Members for Tayside, North (Mr. Walker) and for Saffron Walden (Mr. Haselhurst), asked me to see what more could be done to stimulate competition in the provision of such services by local authorities. The amendment before us requires that where any agreement has been entered into under the provisions of clause 22, the accounts of the principal council concerned shall include a separate account in respect of that agreement. It also provides for public rights of inspection of such accounts.

It will be open then for other potential suppliers of those services to tender, if they so wish, as suppliers to the airport company when the particular contract next comes up for renewal. The amendment meets some of the concerns expressed, in particular, by some of my hon. Friends when we discussed the issue in Committee.

I hope that the amendment commends itself to the House.

Question put and agreed to.

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