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Further Education and Training Bill [HL]

moved Amendment No. 2: 2: Clause 2, page 2, line 13, leave out ““and chairman of a regional council”” and insert ““of a regional council; ( ) the appointment of a member of a regional council as chairman;”” The noble Lord said: My Lords, I will speakalso to government Amendments Nos. 3 and 4. Amendment No. 2 is a technical amendment that clarifies the intention behind the regulation-making power provided in Clause 2. Clause 2 inserts Section 18A into the Learning and Skills Act 2000, which provides for the establishment of regional councils. Section 18A(2) gives the Secretary of State the power to make provision about regional councils in regulations and Section 18A(3) specifies what these regulations may, in particular, make provision about. An illustrative draft of the regulations was made available to the House ahead of Grand Committee. Provision about regional councils will be made in regulations, rather than in primary legislation, in order to give the LSC greater flexibility over time, by enabling the LSC to respond to, and more rapidly accommodate, possible future machinery of government changes. The first draft of any such regulations will, however, be subject to affirmative resolution of both Houses, as in the arrangements that I set out in Grand Committee. This amendment clarifies that regulations may provide for delegation of its functions by a regional council. While it has always been the intention that regional councils should be able to delegate their functions, this amendment makes it absolutely clear that regulations allowing a regional council to do so can be made. Such regulations may provide for the delegation of functions by a regional council to its chairman, from the chairman to a member of the regional council and, with the consent of the national council, delegation of functions by a regional council to its staff. The amendment also clarifies that regulations may provide for the appointment of a regional council chairman from among the members of the regional council. There will be checks on the power for a regional council to delegate functions to its staff. This amendment allows regulations to provide for a regional council to delegate functions to a member of staff, but only where the national council consents. The national council may specify that this consent relates to particular functions of the regional council or description of functions. I beg to move. On Question, amendment agreed to.