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Greater London Authority Bill

I support the amendment. It concerns a matter discussed by the Assembly; its Members would unanimously support it. I understand that the original intention was that London TravelWatch, as the London Transport Users’ Committee is now branded, should fall within the Assembly’s budget because, if you have to choose between executive and scrutiny, it falls within the scrutiny part of the picture. However, it has a very different role and, as the noble Lord said, if it reduced the Assembly’s scrutiny budget, that would be a problem. I am not wholly sure that I should like to see the Mayor setting the LTUC budget, so, if the principle of the amendment were accepted, I would want to see it followed by a further amendment dealing with how the budget is set. However, I understand the principle behind it. The Minister in the Commons made the secondary point that the amendment was technically flawed. I can understand the words that he used—he mentioned the chief finance officer’s power of direction being intended to deal only with the Mayor’s aspect of the budget—but I cannot reconcile what he said withthe amendment or where it comes within the Bill. If there is a technical flaw, I hope that the Minister will explain it.