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75 Clause 25, page 28, line 37, leave out "the authority may specify" and insert "may he specified by the authority or prescribed by the Secretary of State".
76 Page 29, line 3, at end insert—
(2) Before making any regulations under subsection (1)(b) above, the Secretary of State shall consult such associations of local authorities as appear to him to be concerned and any local authority with whom consultation appears to him to be desirable.".
§ Baroness HooperMy Lords, I beg to move that the House do agree with the Commons in their Amendments Nos. 75 and 76.
Clause 25 provides a fairly limited start to the process of financial delegation to schools, which the Government wish to encourage. It is recognised that some authorities already go further than this, and they may continue to do so. Other authorities, however, hardly delegate at all and the provisions in Clause 25 will represent a significant step forward for these. However, in order to encourage the process of delegation to continue, the amendments provide for the Secretary of State to be able to extend the areas in which delegation must take place and to do so by regulations, after consulting the local authority associations and such local authorities as he considers desirable.
Moved, That this House do agree with the Commons in the said amendments.—(Baroness Hooper.)
§ On Question, Motion agreed to.