§ Mr. Gordon PrenticeTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if the rules on political balance set out in his reply to the hon. Member for Thurrock (Mr. MacKinlay) on 21 July 1994,Official Report, column 464, apply to area committees established exclusively to discharge the authority's functions or to advise the authority in respect of the area and where all voting members are from wards wholly or partly within the area and either the area does not exceed two fifths of the authority's whole area or the population of the area does not exceed two fifths of the authority's total population. [28881]
§ Mr. Robert B. JonesThe political balance rules would not apply in this case.
§ Mr. Gordon PrenticeTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many local authorities have established area committees exclusively to discharge the authority functions. [28823]
§ Mr. Robert B. JonesWe do not hold information about which authorities have chosen to organise themselves in this way.
§ Mr. Gordon PrenticeTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what restrictions there are on the functions which a local authority may devolve to area committees which it may set up to discharge council functions. [28818]
§ Mr. Robert B. JonesThe area committee will be subject to the general limitations imposed by Local124W Government Act 1972 on all authorities arranging for discharge of their functions, in particular by section 101 of that Act. The committee's authority will also be restricted in terms of area.