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Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Bill

My Lords, the Minister is doing her best to disappoint me very politely, just as I am doing my best to seduce her very politely, if I may put it that way. I am grateful to the noble Baroness, Lady Hamwee, for her support in this matter. Certainly, in all the conventions that I have known in life, an invitation is an invitation and can be refused. The question is whether it can be refused here. The noble Baroness, Lady Maddock, made a very important point: that in going down this track, if one person goes in a particular direction, inevitably everyone else should think very carefully about where they are going and whether they want to go in the same or some other direction. Decisions can become confused and, rather than think exclusively of your own interests, you begin to think in the wider, and not necessarily the logical, sense. This is a Pandora’s box situation and I do not think that it is a good one to be in for one moment. The Minister said that the amendment was not necessary because she thought that the flexibility was already there. If that is so, it is not necessary for her to oppose the amendment. As it will not affect anything from her point of view, she can perfectly well accept it. I think that we should test the opinion of the House on this and, to that extent, I shall have to disappoint the Minister rather than seduce her. On Question, Whether the said amendment (No. 19) shall be agreed to? Their Lordships divided: Contents, 91; Not-Contents, 139. [Amendments Nos. 20 to 22 not moved.] Clause 4 [Request for Boundary Committee for England's advice]: [Amendments Nos. 23 and 24 not moved.] Clause 5 [Boundary Committee's powers]: [Amendment No. 25 not moved.]