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Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Bill

My Lords, the amendment of the noble Baroness, Lady Harris of Richmond, clearly seeks clarification on the position of police authorities in respect of overview and scrutiny committees. One gauges from her speech that if the response from my noble friend the Minister were to say that regulations will make that clear, that would be more than sufficient to enable the noble Baroness to withdraw the amendment. Perhaps my noble friend would consider what can be within the scope of the regulations, because I remain concerned that a number of such committees will have a very wide definition of which legitimate crime and disorder matters they can consider. It is clearly a matter for them to decide how broadly to define their activities, but, for example, the London Borough of Barnet has maintained throughout the past seven years that the level of resources put into policing in that borough are totally inadequate and unfair in respect of the resources that the people of Barnet pay in terms of the police precept. The London Borough of Newham repeatedly states that it should be able to run the police service in its borough. It seems to me that both of those boroughs’ overview and scrutiny committees are likely to say that they should be able to look at any matter falling within the purview of the police authority in London—covering all 32 boroughs—because it impacts on the level of policing in their areas. I hope that my noble friend will be able say that the regulations may define what are and what are not legitimate matters for overview and scrutiny committees to look at in particular boroughs. I am grateful to my noble friend for the offer of a letter, but these are important matters. I am not as sanguine as the noble Baroness, Lady Harris of Richmond, in thinking that the arrangements under the Police and Justice Act would have worked wonderfully, because I am not convinced of that. However, given that something will be implemented, we must all try to make sure that there is clarity on what legitimate issues can be discussed by the committees and to ensure that, if those issues impact on wider questions of resources, the police authority is present and has a role.