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Further Education and Training Bill [HL]

My Lords, I am grateful for the Minister’s reply and for the support of the noble Baroness, Lady Morris of Bolton. I welcome the Government’s Amendments Nos. 27 and 33. The noble Lord, Lord Walton of Detchant, asked a question that was also asked in Grand Committee, when he was not in his place. The Minister’s reply was the same, and I will give the Minister the same response now: local authorities are elected bodies. That is our main objection to giving these powers to the LSCs—they are not elected bodies. The Minister asked the noble Baroness, Lady Morris of Bolton, whether she might think differently if she were sitting in his position. We accept that there are hard decisions to be made sometimes, but if I were sitting in the noble Lord’s position when these hard decisions had to be made, I would much rather recommend to the Secretary of State that he or she made those decisions than leave them to the unelected learning and skills councils. Like the noble Lord, Lord Roberts of Conwy, I am concerned that the Assembly for Wales should have the same powers of review of this policy that Parliament has on the English side.