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Natural Environment and Rural Communities Bill

I rise to speak to our Amendment No. 342, which is in this group. I support Amendments Nos. 340 and 341 as proposed by the noble Duke for the reasons that he has just stated. Amendment No. 342 seeks to find out why the Government do not think that a joint committee of two or more local authorities should be able to have these agreements delegated to it. That takes me back to 2000, when we had a long debate on the functions of joint committees under the Local Government Act 2000. Joint committees could be between a county council and a district council, or between two district councils. They facilitate partnership working in a very good way. In 2000, the Government resisted the idea that a joint committee could have any executive functions. I can preview the fact that the Minister will tell me that for this very reason they are not going to be able to play any part under Clause 77 of this Bill. I live in hope because I think the Minister is shaking her head. Not allowing joint committees to have functions means that partnership working is damaged, in the same way that not allowing volunteers to do something is equally damaging. I await the Minister’s explanation with anticipation.