§ Lords amendment: No. 3, in page 16, line 6, at end insert—
§ ("( ) make provision conferring on the Commission functions with respect to the provision of services of any description to regional development agencies,")
§ Mr. CabornI beg to move, That this House agrees with the Lords in the said amendment.
§ Mr. Deputy Speaker (Mr. Michael Lord)With this it will be convenient to take Lords amendments Nos. 4 to 6.
§ Mr. CabornThese amendments are purely technical. Amendments Nos. 3 and 5 allow the Secretary of State to 671 specify, by order, that English Partnerships and the Rural Development Commission may provide services to the RDAs. We have in mind the provision of IT services in particular, so as to ensure that the expertise and the IT systems of EP and the RDC are available to the RDAs in the early days, to enable them to become established quickly and seamlessly. That is without prejudice to the wishes of the RDAs to consider their long-term strategies.
Amendments Nos. 4 and 6 relate to the making of schemes to transfer staff and assets from EP or the RDC to other public bodies, other than RDAs. Throughout the Bill, transfers of staff and assets from EP, the RDC or Government offices to RDAs are effected by transfer schemes to be approved by the Secretary of State. The amendments make it clear that transfer schemes relating to transfers from EP and RDC to other public bodies can be prepared in a similar way, separate from the orders made under clauses 35 or 37. I commend the amendments to the House.
§ Lords amendment agreed to.
§ Lords amendments Nos. 4 to 6 agreed to.