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Planning Bill

My Lords, I endorse entirely the remarks of the noble Lords, Lord Jenkin and Lord Goodhart; I will not attempt to improve upon them. I appreciate that the Minister is not in an easy position on this. I say to her only that this is not a matter of government policy. It is not a partisan matter. It is a matter of the position of this House, and the proper relationship of the two Houses. I simply cannot believe that, if it is considered in the cold light of day, the Government and the Commons should think it unreasonable that this House should not have a voice, at least on some parts of the regulatory framework. Even if my noble friend cannot say that she can accept the amendment today, I hope that she will make one last effort to ensure that the matter is considered again. It would be a great pity for this House if the Government, who have listened so carefully on so many aspects of the Bill, were not able to listen on this.