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Broads Authority Bill (By Order)

I am sure that we will do that. An opinion has been obtained by the authority, and sight of it can obviously be provided. Transparency is everything in the Bill, not just in the context of what we are doing and why we are doing it, but in the context of the accounts. The transparency of the accounts has been guaranteed time and again, and I am sure that no national or local boating organisation would have agreed to or signed anything without that guarantee. We are not the fount of all knowledge, and the public and the organisations that are involved in these issues daily are as keen on openness and transparency as we are. The authority has assured me that no increase in staff numbers will result from the so-called draconian extra powers—I shall omit the word ““draconian? because I welcome the powers—and also that there will be no additional administrative costs, although we can probe those assurances in Committee. The authorised officers will be the existing staff officers. There will be no job advertisements, so the hon. Member for Mid-Norfolk (Mr. Simpson) need not consult the Eastern Daily Press if, as we hope, he is knocked out of his seat at the next election. The Broads Authority has been the planning authority since 1989, so there has been no dramatic change in that regard. The authority has a great deal of experience and its planning officers will ensure that it continues to be used to good effect. The Minister referred to money and to parish councils and so forth. I am sure that we will revisit those issues repeatedly, but please let us have no more talk of proportional representation. Let us simply talk about how we can secure a world-class Broads Authority, carrying out a management function that will preserve a part of the world that really needs to be preserved. We must never return to the position of a few years ago, before we started to legislate.