On a point of order, Mr. Speaker. May I seek your guidance on how I might pursue a named day question to the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government from more than a month ago, which despite two reminders remains unanswered? It simply asked for the sale price of the Government’s much-trumpeted £60,000 house at the Renny Lodge site in Newport Pagnell? I understand the Government’s embarrassment that that turns out to be £189,500, but is it right that such a fair question should go unanswered to spare their blushes?

The hon. Gentleman is asking the question now. He knows that he can ask oral questions and further written questions. The Secretary of State has heard his concern.

On a point of order, Mr. Speaker.

On a point of order, Mr. Speaker.

I will take the point of order from the hon. Member for Beverley and Holderness (Mr. Stuart) first.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The ex-Home Secretary and ex-Health Secretary are concerned that 10 years on, the Government lack both vision and policies. They have demanded a debate, and I wondered whether you could help them secure one.

That is not a matter for the Chair.

On a point of order, Mr. Speaker. I apologise for not being able to raise this matter with you before questions; I did not get the detail from Hansard until after Scottish questions. Yesterday, as is recorded at columns 715-16 of Hansard¸ the hon. Member for Shrewsbury and Atcham (Daniel Kawczynski) repeated an accusation, which he admitted had come to him anonymously, of interference with postal ballots during both council elections and the general election. He named a village, and indicated that the individuals involved were postal workers; as you know, I am the secretary of the Communication Workers Union liaison group. He indicated that they were councillors, and gave so much information that anyone could identify the persons accused. At column 717, he went on to attack the reputation of the candidate chosen to stand against him in the election, and admitted that he had not raised the matter with the police. Will you look at those columns and rule on whether, if not a breach of privilege, an abuse of privilege of the House has taken place?

If any hon. Member had been in breach of privilege, or if there was an abuse of privilege, the Chair would immediately have halted the matter there and then. We in this House are entitled to free speech, but what I have always said to hon. Members is that they should use their free speech very wisely and cautiously. That is all I have to say on the matter.

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I know that the hon. Gentleman is the hon. Gentleman concerned, but I have ruled on the matter and it will not be pursued.

I beg to move,

That leave be given to bring in a Bill to make provision for the reduction of the default speed limit in lit urban areas from 30 mph to 20 mph; and for connected purposes.

I am delighted to have the opportunity to introduce this ten-minute Bill. I came into politics to make a difference. When I had the opportunity to vote for a comprehensive smoking ban in public places, I supported that ban because I firmly believed that it would save lives by discouraging people from smoking and protecting others from passive smoking. However, I recognised that I was risking the wrath of thousands of smokers in my constituency. Having been given the opportunity to introduce a ten-minute Bill today, I wanted to introduce another measure that would save lives. My Bill will do just that, by reducing speed limits and cutting the number of fatal accidents and serious injuries on our roads. On this occasion, too, I am aware that I risk the wrath of some motorists in my constituency, who might see the Bill as an unnecessarily draconian attempt to cut speed.

I have been in politics long enough to recognise that any measures for improving road safety—whether they be speed cameras, traffic calming, one-way systems or speed restrictions—will always be controversial. That is partly because drivers are often unaware of the impact that different speeds have on an accident victim. A survey of 180 drivers carried out by the charity Brake and Green Flag Motoring Assistance showed that although motorists were able to predict fairly accurately the survival rate of accident victims hit at 40 mph, on average they believed that a pedestrian hit at 20 mph would have only a 32 per cent. chance of survival, whereas the figure is in fact 95 per cent. It is therefore little wonder that some motorists are against additional traffic-calming measures and are not persuaded to cut their speed, because they do not appreciate the impact that reducing their speed would have on the outcome of a collision.

My Bill would reduce the default speed limit on lit urban roads from 30 mph to 20 mph, making 20 mph the norm rather than the exception. My assumption is that the vast majority of residential streets would have the 20 mph limit, with local authorities having the discretion to raise the limit to 30 mph on roads where 20 mph is not appropriate or to lower it where 20 mph is still too high—for example, where home zones are introduced and pedestrians are prioritised over motorists.

Plans to reduce the default speed limit have attracted support from both sides of the House and from a number of organisations. They include the Parliamentary Advisory Council for Transport Safety, Brake—the road safety charity that provides support to the all-party group on road safety—the Cyclists Touring Club, which is the national cyclists organisation, and their partners in the Slower Speeds Initiative. They include groups such as Living Streets, formerly the Pedestrians Association, the sustainable transport campaign Transport 2000, the sustainable transport charity Sustrans, and the road crash victims group RoadPeace, which all previously supported attempts to reduce the default speed limit during the passage of the Road Safety Act 2006. I should also like to thank Roger Geffen of CTC, Rachel Burr of Brake and Emily Crawford of PACTS, for their support and for providing valuable statistics about safety.

The status quo is unsatisfactory, and a decision to reduce the speed limit on a particular road is usually reactive, rather than proactive. There has to be evidence that the road in question is dangerous at speeds of 30 mph—usually in the form of accidents that have already taken place. However, I would argue that we should assume that 30 mph is a dangerous speed on all residential streets, and that on the whole, 20 is plenty.

One reason why I want to introduce this Bill is that I have been disappointed by Manchester city council’s lukewarm response to a request for a reduction in the speed limit on some residential streets in my constituency. When Chorlton residents on Brundretts road contacted me because they were concerned about cars driving at 30 mph or faster—despite the presence of parked cars on either side of the road restricting motorists’ visibility and that of pedestrians trying to cross a busy road—the council refused to take action. It refused not because it did not particularly want to take action, but because the road was not seen as a priority. Although it was accepted that 30 mph was not an appropriate speed on that road, the traffic department was unable to justify spending money to reduce the speed limit because other road safety schemes were considered a higher priority. By putting road safety first and having a lower speed limit, the Bill would turn the tables: local authorities would have to prioritise the roads on which they want to increase the speed limit, rather than needing to prioritise safety schemes.

All the evidence points to the fact that lower speeds make our roads safer not just for motorists but, more importantly, for the most vulnerable road users: pedestrians and cyclists. Safer roads will encourage more people to walk and to cycle, especially children travelling to school. One of the most common reasons that people give for not cycling is that they do not believe that the roads are safe for cycling. Reducing the speed limit will help to raise their confidence in the safety of roads, and therefore help to tackle congestion.

The first three 20 mph zones in the UK were implemented in January 1991. Five years later, the Transport Research Laboratory reviewed the results from 250 zones in England, Wales and Scotland. The average speed in these areas was reduced by 9 mph. The total number of crashes fell by 60 per cent., and the number of accidents involving children fell by 67 per cent. The number of crashes involving cyclists also fell, by 27 per cent. In 2003, the Health Development Agency called for a reduction in the speed limit to 20 mph on residential streets. It estimated that that would reduce child deaths and injuries by a massive 67 per cent.—or 13,000 children—each year.

One council that has led the way is Hull city council, which has introduced 20 mph zones on a quarter of its roads. There has been a 74 per cent. reduction in the number of crashes involving child pedestrians, and a 69 per cent. reduction in child cycle collisions in the three years since the zones’ introduction, compared with the three before the speed limit changed. The overall number of collisions in Hull has been reduced by 56 per cent., and there has been a 90 per cent. reduction in serious or fatal injury collisions.

The reduction in accidents is due at least in part to the effect that lower speeds have on vehicles’ stopping distances. A 50 per cent. increase in speed from 20 mph to 30 mph results in a 50 per cent. increase in the “thinking distance”, but the actual braking distance increases at a much faster rate. In fact, it increases in proportion to the speed squared, which means that driving at 30 mph instead of 20 mph increases the stopping distance by 134 per cent. That is why so many accidents could be avoided with a default speed limit of 20 mph.

However, the Bill is aimed at reducing not just the number of accidents but the severity of those that would inevitably still take place. If a pedestrian is hit at 20 mph, the victim has a 95 per cent. chance of survival. That is reduced to 80 per cent. at 30 mph, and where a motorist breaks the 30 mph limit by as much as 10 mph, a pedestrian has a 90 per cent. chance of being killed by the impact.

As well as Hull, other local authorities have also been proactive. Portsmouth, Newcastle and Southwark should all be congratulated on their decision to adopt 20 mph as the limit for most residential streets. However, Parliament should take the lead. The Government missed the perfect opportunity during the passage of the Road Safety Act 2006.

There is absolutely no doubt that reducing the default speed limit from 30 mph to 20 mph would have the greatest impact on road safety and accident statistics. With more than two thirds of road casualties occurring on built-up roads, evidence from places such as Hull proves the clear potential for reducing casualties through lower speed limits.

This Bill is not about attacking the motorist, nor is it aimed at inconveniencing car drivers with unnecessarily longer journeys. Nor is it about imposing rules on local authorities: councils can choose to have a 30 mph speed limit where they consider 20 mph to be inappropriate. The Bill is about saving lives. The statistics speak for themselves: speeds will drop, the number of accidents will fall, and those who are injured will be more likely to survive, and not to be seriously injured. I am disappointed that we have had no help from the Minister, but I hope that the Bill will receive support from both sides of the House.

Question put and agreed to.

Bill ordered to be brought in by Mr. John Leech, Mark Hunter, Bob Russell, Tim Farron, Dr. Evan Harris, Dr. Vincent Cable, Mr. David Drew, Mr. Andy Reed, Tom Brake, Paul Rowen and Dr. John Pugh.

Speed Limits (Amendment)

Mr. John Leech accordingly presented a Bill to make provision for the reduction of the default speed limit in lit urban areas from 30 mph to 20 mph: and for connected purposes: And the same was read the First time; and ordered to be read a Second time on Friday 29 June, and to be printed [Bill 66].

On a point of order, Mr. Speaker. I have had great difficulty in obtaining a copy of the judgment by the Special Immigration Appeals Commission on the deportation order against Abu Qatada. I made inquiries in the Library all morning, but with no luck. There is an open version of the judgment, which was vetted before publication by the British security services. However, there is also a separate closed or secret version which contains details of national security, and that version is not available to us.

Can you take such steps as might be available to ensure that Members of Parliament have full information about matters of such importance and seriousness, especially given the statements by the Home Secretary—correct statements, which I endorse—about the balance that has to be achieved between human rights and public security? Is there any way in which, after consideration, you can give a ruling about whether the full version should be made available to Members? Justice must not only be done, but be seen to be done.

This is the first time that I have heard of the matter, and I suggest that the hon. Gentleman first contact the Home Secretary at his office to see what facilities can be offered to him. If he does not receive the information that he seeks, he is more than welcome to come back to me and I will endeavour to see what I may do to help him. Like the hon. Gentleman, I too must take security into consideration.

I beg to move, That the clause be read a Second time.

With this it will be convenient to discuss the following:

Government new clause 15—Transitional provision relating to consultation.

Government amendments Nos. 8 to 17.

These amendments and new clauses clarify several provisions in the Bill and are largely minor and consequential in nature. I shall summarise each in turn.

Under section 30 of the Greater London Authority Act 1999, the GLA has a general power to take action, within certain limitations. That general power enables the Mayor to do anything that he considers will further the GLA’s principal purposes—to promote economic development, wealth creation, social development and the improvement of the environment in Greater London. In determining whether, or how, to exercise its powers, the GLA is required, among other things, to have regard to the effect that they might have on the achievement of sustainable development in the UK. Where reasonably practicable, it must exercise its powers in the way best calculated to achieve that.

Additionally, Government new clause 14 requires the GLA to have regard to the effect of any proposed exercise of its powers on climate change and the consequences of climate change, so far as that relates to Greater London. Moreover, it requires the GLA, where reasonably practicable, to exercise its powers in a way that is best calculated to contribute to the mitigation of, or adaptation to, climate change so far as it relates to Greater London.

Government new clause 14 ensures that addressing climate change is at the heart of the GLA’s work. It recognises that tackling the scourge of climate change is not an environmental issue only and that it needs a fully co-ordinated approach across all aspects of the authority’s work—economic, social and environmental. It complements the duties placed on the Mayor and the assembly by clause 38 to address climate change.

Government new clause 15 is a minor, consequential amendment resulting from that change. It deals with any consultation carried out by the Mayor, under the four new strategies included in this Bill, after the legislation’s enactment but before the relevant sections come into force. It ensures that such a consultation counts, for the purposes of fulfilling the Mayor’s statutory duties to consult, as though he had consulted after the provisions had come into force. The provision ensures that the Mayor can start to consult on his strategies immediately after the Act is passed, rather than having to await the commencement of the relevant sections. In turn, that makes it more likely that the Mayor will be able to publish his new strategies before the next GLA election in May 2008.

Government amendment No. 8 requires the Secretary of State to consult the Mayor and the assembly before making an order under proposed new section 60A(5) specifying further offices to which confirmation hearings should apply. We believe that it is sensible that the Secretary of State should seek the views of the Mayor and assembly before deciding the appropriate course of action. This amendment fulfils a commitment that I gave in Committee to the hon. Member for Carshalton and Wallington (Tom Brake) to consider further a similar amendment that he had tabled. He may wish to refer to that as the Brake amendment

Government amendments Nos. 9, 10, 16 and 17 deal with transport. Clause 18 removes the current prohibition on political representatives being members of the board of Transport for London. That will allow the Mayor greater discretion in appointing those members to the board who best represent the interests of people living and travelling in London.

Clause 18 has a consequential impact on the Railways Act 2005. The Department for Transport has consulted separately on whether to give the Mayor greater influence over rail services in an area beyond the GLA boundary. If that happens, there is a provision in the Railways Act 2005 to ensure that the Mayor appoints at least two additional members from those areas outside London to the TFL board to represent the interest of rail users from their areas.

There is further provision in the Railways Act 2005—if taken forward, it would become paragraph 2(5A) of schedule 10 to the GLA Act 1999—to restrict the Mayor to appointing no more than two additional members to the TFL board who are, at the same time, members of a principal council. This provision maintains the balance of the TFL board where political representatives, other than the Mayor, are currently not permitted.

It is clearly inconsistent to restrict the Mayor to appointing no more than two members from principal councils when the effect of clause 18 is that the Mayor will no longer be prevented from appointing political representatives. These amendments repeal paragraph 2(5A) of schedule 10 of the GLA Act 1999, so as to remove the restriction on political representatives from principal councils.

Government amendment No. 11 clarifies that the Mayor need not consult the assembly and functional bodies twice when he prepares or revises his health inequalities strategy. As drafted, the Bill requires the Mayor to consult the assembly and functional bodies when he consults his health adviser and London’s NHS bodies about matters to include in his strategy. However, he must also consult the assembly and functional bodies when preparing or revising his strategy under section 42 of the 1999 Act.

I apologise for interrupting my hon. Friend who is rattling on at a good old rate, but I missed the bit about transport. We are told that the Mayor will be consulted about changes to railways and that people in various council areas have been consulted about the Mayor’s plans about such changes, but can we have an assurance that the House of Commons will also be consulted, because there are considerable consequences for the overground railway? Is my hon. Friend satisfied that the Bill’s protections for the use of pedicabs are acceptable?

My hon. Friend asks whether the House will be consulted. The Department for Transport is about to issue the conclusions to its consultation about the amendment that allows people from outside London to sit on the board, and I am sure that Members have taken up the opportunity offered by that consultation. The issue about pedicabs was raised in Committee but the Bill does not contain the references that my hon. Friend mentioned. My apologies to her if I was rattling through my speech too quickly; I am only trying to make progress given that the majority of the amendments, as I indicated at the beginning, are relatively straightforward—

rose—

At least I believed they were.

I am grateful to the Minister for giving way; I, too, am at fault for being slow in respect of the transport points, but I wonder if he can help us. Is it proposed that there should be guidance to the Mayor, either in the form of regulation or more generally, first, as to how representatives from local authorities outside Greater London are to be appointed—what system is to be used and who is to be consulted—and, secondly, is there to be any guidance about political appointees to TFL? Will the Mayor be obliged to consult London councils, for example, to make sure that there is balance in the appointments?

I am sure that the Mayor will have heard what the hon. Gentleman says about political balance. We covered the issue extensively in Committee, and fair points were made. As he is aware, there are criteria about the expertise, skills and experience of individuals appointed to the TFL board and the Mayor obviously has to take cognisance of those criteria in making his nominations.

Is the Minister really confident that the changes in the Bill will make TFL more responsive? My constituents find the organisation very bureaucratic; it is impossible to get TFL to change its mind about anything, whether the route of the 384 bus or a bus stop outside Ellern Mede school. My constituents in Chipping Barnet are frustrated by the way TFL works at present.

The hon. Lady’s point about TFL’s sensitivity to public representations was raised by a number of colleagues in Committee. From the common sense point of view, I would have thought that the nature of our profession and our experience of listening to the concerns of constituents would bring an additional dimension to the appointment of political representatives to TFL’s board; it would certainly put a greater emphasis on the need for TFL to be more sensitive. I am not being critical about what went on previously, but Members made that point most effectively. We would certainly not make changes if we did not think that they would improve and enhance the board’s performance. I am sure that will be the case.

May I repeat a question that I put in Committee about something that concerns many London residents? The Mayor has general obligations to consult about transport and other schemes, but there is absolutely no obligation for him to listen to what is said by the people of London. Can the Minister tell me what in the Bill, in his opinion, strengthens the consultation process and makes it more likely that the Mayor—whether the current or future Mayor—will take heed of the results?

In Committee, we had extensive discussion of the relative merits of the various consultations that the Mayor and the assembly have undertaken over many years. The conclusion among those on the Government Benches was that any consultation undertaken by any individual or body is almost guaranteed to leave some of the respondents unhappy. No consultation can provide 100 per cent. satisfaction across the board.

We believe that the consultation as it stands is adequate. I know that a number of people are unhappy about the conclusions that the Mayor has drawn following certain consultations, but the additional measures in the Bill will enhance the consultative process and ensure that the assembly has the opportunity to put forward London’s views. The responsibility of the Mayor to consult London councils was also raised under a number of clauses in Committee.

I begin by sending my good wishes and, I am sure, those of everyone in the Chamber to my hon. Friend the Member for Surrey Heath (Michael Gove), who is confined to bed with bronchitis and pneumonia. One rather suspects that he has no voice, which given what I understand to have been the genial nature of the Standing Committee is a great sadness to us all. I am slightly relieved that the hon. Member for Ealing, North (Stephen Pound) is not here, given his propensity to trade football reminiscences. I am open about the fact that football reminiscences and I do not go together terribly well. [Interruption.] I will not be tempted on to the subject of what happens to people’s health when they are born and brought up in Aberdeen—which is not the part of the Scotland from which I came.

Like the Minister, I shall be brief because there are many serious issues that we want to discuss at greater length. We broadly support the amendments and new clauses. I comment briefly on the thought that the consultations referred to in new clause 14 will be available just in time for the mayoral elections. I cannot imagine why that new clause has been tabled, but we will all have great fun examining the consultations in great detail when they emerge.

I sympathise with the hon. Member for Crewe and Nantwich (Mrs. Dunwoody) on the issue of TFL. I said that we do not have any difficulty with most of the amendments, but the membership of the board of TFL causes us enormous concern, as the Minister indicated when the Bill was in Committee. I can tell my hon. Friend the Member for Chipping Barnet (Mrs. Villiers) that I entirely share her view of the TFL board. It is unresponsive to a degree that I have yet to come across in any other public body. I see others nodding in agreement.

I will not go through the particular instances in my constituency that have caused me concern, but it is rather indicative of the problems that we all have with TFL that one day’s edition of the Evening Standard—yesterday’s—has one headline that says, “TfL pays £5m in refunds for Tube delays”, another that says, “Cars will be seized from innocent under new law”, which refers to a private Bill sponsored by TFL, and another that says, “Bus fare dodgers cost TfL £1 million a week”. If I were TFL, I would be seriously worried that something, somewhere, was going wrong, and I would think that it might be time to listen to the people who reflect the views of their constituents.

Rightly, the proposal in the Bill was that representatives of the areas outside London should be on the TFL board, if the railway amendments are made, and if the Mayor extends his power over transport and commuting even further, and goes beyond his current ambitions. The questions that the hon. Member for Crewe and Nantwich asked about how the representatives will be chosen, and how the House of Commons will be consulted, are valid, because London Members find it increasingly frustrating to try to hold the Mayor to account and to raise any London issues with him. Although legislation is not devolved, the House of Commons seems to believe that it is, and it is extraordinarily difficult to raise such issues. For that reason, I have every sympathy with the hon. Lady’s comments.

My hon. Friends and I have enormous sympathy with the proposal to give the Mayor a permissive power to appoint two new members from principal councils to the TFL board. The power is permissive, rather than instructive, but we would like to think that the Mayor will use it with gusto, that he will use it with a view to ensuring political balance, and that representatives of the boroughs will be included on the TFL board. As I have indicated, there is a crying need for more politicians on the board of TFL. I hope that the Mayor responds to the Minister’s hint that it would be appreciated if the Mayor appointed more politicians to the board of TFL, to make it more responsive to the people of London, and we look forward to that happening. On those grounds, I have no intention of suggesting to my hon. Friends that we oppose the drafting amendments. I hope that the Mayor of London listens carefully, and we will have to return to the issue if TFL continues to be unresponsive.

I had no intention of taking part in the debate, but I have considerable reservations. There has been an astonishing sideways move on the subject of the extension of the Mayor’s powers to overground railways outside the London area, and that has resulted in a strange, unstructured debate. As far as I know, the House of Commons has not yet formulated a view on the matter, although individual Members have considerable worries about it. It would be unwise to slip gently into an arrangement that could have damaging effects without proper consultation. The Mayor may have territorial claims on areas outside those that elect him, although that establishes an interesting precedent, and the House of Commons ought to think about that seriously before it accepts the idea. In addition, if the railways are to be considered an extension of the London Mayor’s empire, other areas of the country will have something to say about the matter.

It is perfectly true that because of the attractions of the capital city all our railways either begin or end in London. It is all very well saying that it would be convenient for a large conurbation to have control over the bits of a service that happen to run through it, but the matter is rather more complicated than that. I am concerned about us slipping, almost by default, into a situation in which it looks as though we accept the case for the Mayor having control over overground railways, although I am sure that we do not.

I am not a lawyer, and I do not know whether that is the implication of the new clause, but if it does provide that power, it should be fully debated. It should be put in context and understood, and we should have the right to ask whether it should happen. All our transport systems must be integrated. I do not object at all to political appointments for such arrangements. Indeed, if I were in charge of the national health service, I would introduce a simple measure excluding anyone who did not believe in an integrated health service. It would not admit competition between hospitals and other units, and it would make it impossible for private hospitals to compete with national health units. It would make it impossible for anyone carrying private health insurance to play any role whatsoever in the NHS. If one or two supplementary clauses automatically excluded members of new Labour, that would be an excellent idea. Sadly, however, the House of Commons does not accept such restrictions.

I therefore have only one or two things to ask the Minister. First, does the extension of power mean that the Mayor automatically has a say in the planning and execution of services, as well as the way in which they are integrated with the overground railway? If so, do the railway industry and passenger services have the right to be consulted about that extension of power? Secondly, is it in the interests of an elected mayor, whoever they are, to be able to control services outwith the area in which they were elected? Does that not raise an interesting point, which should concern us very deeply? Thirdly, if the Department for Transport was consulted, and is in the process of consulting, may we know the terms of reference?

May I start my brief contribution by saying that I, too, miss the hon. Member for Surrey Heath (Michael Gove), and wish him well? It is rare for Committee stages to be jovial, but he spoke entertainingly on behalf of the official Opposition. I am sure that the hon. Member for Beckenham (Mrs. Lait) will entertain us in exactly the same way.

As the Minister suggested, the amendments are largely uncontroversial, apart from the implications for rail. We welcome the fact that new clause 14 requires the Mayor to have regard to the impact on climate change of any measures that he seeks to introduce. I suspect that he is a little aggrieved that we are discussing that on the day on which he launched his plan to cut emissions by 60 per cent., as doubtless he believes that he is already taking climate change into consideration. I am not going to call it the Brake clause, but I can do nothing but welcome Government amendment No. 8, which requires the Secretary of State to consult the Mayor and the Assembly when he extends the list of people who are subject to confirmation hearings. The Minister was true to his word—he said that he would come up with something, and I welcome the fact that he has done so.

I welcome, too, new clause 15, which requires consultation to be carried out earlier than expected, which leaves the issue of Transport for London and the implications for rail both inside and outside London. In 1998, when the matter was first discussed, my hon. Friends and I called for the Mayor to be given greater powers on rail in London, so in principle I do not oppose the Government’s proposal, as there is a sound basis for suggesting that the Mayor should have greater control over rail services in London. I stress that he should do so only for services in London. Many commuters begin their journeys in a London borough and travel out of London, or go into London and back out again. It is difficult to see how that service can be run effectively if the Mayor is not actively engaged in the process. I will listen carefully to the Minister’s response.

Does the hon. Gentleman accept that users of underground lines, such as the District line in my area, feel that the Mayor has enough on his plate sorting out service levels in his existing remit, without taking on service levels and responsibilities as part of an even greater remit?

I thank the hon. Lady for her intervention. Yes, clearly the Mayor has many issues to address, whether in relation to the tube or if he takes on responsibility for rail. However, it is difficult to see how an integrated transport system in London can be achieved without the Mayor having a greater say over rail services in London.

Can the Minister explain to Members in a little more detail how, with reference to Crossrail, for example, which is a London-centric project, he will ensure that the Mayor meets the needs of London’s commuters without squeezing out those who are commuting from a much greater distance into London, or through London to another destination? I hope that he can provide a satisfactory explanation of how that is to be managed.

Like other Members, I shall speak briefly. I accept that most of the amendments in the group are uncontroversial, although I was wryly amused that the Minister had obviously liaised with the Mayor to ensure that the strategy papers would come on stream in tune with the electoral cycle, with the London mayoral election due to be held in May 2008. No one can dispute that we want to get on with the strategy papers at the earliest opportunity.

The hon. Member for Crewe and Nantwich (Mrs. Dunwoody) made an important contribution. I was fortunate enough to serve on the Railways Bill in the run-up to the 2005 election. Much of the debate that we have had this afternoon was rehearsed at that time. There were grave concerns about the extent of the Mayor’s powers and the possibility of his tentacles reaching beyond the boundaries of Greater London. Some of those misgivings have been echoed by my colleagues who have expressed concern about the antics of Transport for London, but there are more important constitutional issues, which the hon. Lady raised in her contribution.

It would seem strange if, in my constituency, where both Paddington and Victoria stations are located, I had no say on transport matters. That is the result of devolution in London. Many transport issues do not fall within the ambit of Members of Parliament, even those with London seats. I would have no say about anything going on in my constituency in relation to Victoria or Paddington, but I would potentially have a much greater say about anything going on in Windsor or Reading, down in Sussex or beyond. That seems a strange precedent to set.

For that reason, when we considered the Railways Bill a strong case was made here and in another place to ensure that the Government removed the clauses that they now seek to insert in this Bill. As the Minister knows, the deal to remove the clauses expanding mayoral power was done in the run-up to the 2005 election. They caused grave concern not only about the expansion of the Mayor’s remit beyond Greater London, but about how, without getting into great politically partisan difficulties, he would be able to appoint a range of new advisers for the TFL board or the board representing areas beyond that.

I want to say a word about pedicabs, which were mentioned earlier by the hon. Member for Crewe and Nantwich. It is to be regretted that my new clause 13 has not been selected for debate today. The matter was not debated in Committee, either. I understand that on advice from the Clerks, new clause 13 was considered to be out of order. However, the problem is a real one, and Transport for London and other transport bodies recognise that there is an increasing number of unregistered pedicabs, especially in the west end of London—some 300 or 400, and probably more in the months and years ahead.

I suspect that we are only a short distance away from the first fatality, when there will no doubt be a big hue and cry. I do not wish to blame the Government on this. Having had the opportunity to speak to the Minister’s colleague, the Under-Secretary of State for Transport, the hon. Member for Lincoln (Gillian Merron), I know that she too would like something put on to the statute book in double quick time. I am sorry that we were unable to use that as a device to get such a provision into this Bill. I implore the Minister to use the earliest opportunity to ensure that we have a proper registration process for pedicabs before some terrible accident happens, which will reflect very badly on legislators in this House and beyond.

I want to return briefly to transport issues and the TFL board. Before I do so, let me say that I agree with the hon. Member for Crewe and Nantwich (Mrs. Dunwoody) that the Mayor should get his own house in order first. In dealing with integrated transport systems in London, he could, for example, use his existing leverage to achieve a better alignment of bus and off-peak rail fares to make better use of the surplus capacity on some of the suburban lines within London, which he has declined to do, instead of seeking to extend his geographical tentacles beyond the M25.

My main concern is about the TFL board. I accept that the Minister is taking a step in the right direction, but it is a very small step. The reason why I asked him how the representatives of principal councils are to be appointed and how balance is to be achieved is that although the Mayor is responsible for transport strategy, in practice it is delivered by a partnership between TFL and the boroughs. The boroughs are still key players—they administer and deal with the vast majority of the road network. We often find that there are problems with the interface between TFL roads and borough roads. Regrettably, throughout the seven years for which it has existed, TFL has persisted in trying to act as though it exists in isolation, hardly ever consulting the boroughs.

A simple example of that arose before I came into this House, when my name was briefly taken in vain. My hon. Friend the Member for Beckenham (Mrs. Lait) raised with the then responsible Minister the farce that arose in the Coney Hall area of Beckenham when the A232 was dug up by TFL, putting a couple of local businesses out of business and completely disrupting and shutting off the shopping centre, and he responded to the effect that I had been involved in that as the assembly member concerned. TFL, which had not consulted at all with the London borough of Bromley about closing off this major road, promised to take on board the problems that had arisen and to undertake some works to remedy the damage that had been done to Coney Hall as a shopping centre. People were turning up and finding that the access to their place of business was closed off overnight. I attended a site meeting with my hon. Friend the Member for Beckenham and local councillors—it was also attended by a senior officer who was one of the directors of TFL—where it was accepted that an error had been made, lessons had been learned, and that it would consult in future.

That was in September 2005. Only a week or so ago, a piece of paper from TFL came across my desk at City hall proposing a scheme for realignments of exactly the same piece of road. Had it consulted the London borough of Bromley? Of course not. The better part of two years has gone by, and it is making exactly the same errors. There is real concern that those at TFL are the Bourbons of London government, because they forget nothing and learn nothing. They do that because they feel that they are answerable only to the Mayor and have no responsibility to answer to the boroughs. Putting borough representatives on the board would make them recognise that they have a responsibility to answer to the boroughs as well.

There are some good, professional officers at TFL. However, is it not interesting that other Members are saying that the devolutionary settlement does not give them, as MPs, the opportunity to contribute on these issues? Is it not the case that London assembly members, who have supposedly had this responsibility devolved to them, are not consulted either? In reality, the issue is to do with the quality of culture on consultation with Transport for London as a whole. It would be a mistake for Members to believe that somehow Assembly members had been granted that role.

My hon. Friend is absolutely right. He and I know that the only way that we were able as constituency Assembly members to get a foot in the door with Transport for London was physically that—through jamming our feet in the door, forcing our way through and demanding that we be consulted. That is not a satisfactory way of doing things. That is why one would have hoped for much stronger provision in the Bill to ensure that the appointments of representatives of the principal councils are agreed with the representative body of local government in London. I would have hoped for a few more than a token two members so that there were people who could speak unequivocally on behalf of the boroughs—appointed by the boroughs and ultimately answerable to the boroughs—rather than having just two people who happen to be borough councillors whom the Mayor finds it convenient to appoint because they will not argue too much with him or rock the boat.

I welcome my hon. Friend’s characterisation of Transport for London as unaccountable and out of touch in many ways with areas such as Enfield, Southgate. My hon. Friend mentioned a specific example, but I would cite a routine example, as Transport for London routinely imposes bus stops—in Southgate and, no doubt, throughout London boroughs—without consultation either with London boroughs themselves or with the community. A wider example is the north circular road, as TFL is responsible for both houses and the road itself. For many years it has been blighted and the latest plan shows starkly how unaccountable is TFL and how unresponsive it is to the area’s needs.

My hon. Friend makes a very important point, which demonstrates how our concern on this topic is not with what might seem the arcane and rather formalistic matter of board consultation, but with the actual culture of the organisation of which the board is the head, which underlies the problem. Bus stops and, in particular, the erection of bus shelters in pursuit of a particularly dogmatic interpretation of the Mayor’s transport strategy show once again how the boroughs can be ignored. That is a matter of very real concern to us.

Those examples stress the unwillingness of TFL to come out of its own silo and talk or engage with other partners. That is why I hope that the Minister will provide some reassurance that the people appointed under the new provisions will actually speak for London government and London councils. If that assurance cannot be provided, some of us may decide to look into the problem again in other places, as it is not yet satisfactory.

Finally, I, too, am saddened by the absence of my hon. Friend the Member for Surrey Heath (Michael Gove), but I congratulate the hon. Member for Carshalton and Wallington (Tom Brake) on having achieved “the Brake laws”. As those who followed the progress of the Bill in Committee will know, that means that I am going to have to break it—please forgive the pun—to my hon. Friend the Member for Surrey Heath that whereas his mother and mine remain disappointed, the mother of the hon. Member for Carshalton and Wallington has been favoured by her son managing to get the Minister to give ground. Despite the best of our endeavours and our eloquence, the rest of us have not yet achieved that.

It was remiss of me not to make reference to the absence of the hon. Member for Surrey Heath (Michael Gove). I agree with the hon. Member for Beckenham (Mrs. Lait) that we shall all miss him, but perhaps not miss the reminiscences of the Under-Secretary of State for the Home Department, my hon. Friend the Member for Enfield, North (Joan Ryan) regarding the Aberdeen football team of 1970—or whatever year it was. I made some grandiose claims on behalf of my own team and that of the hon. Member for Bromley and Chislehurst (Robert Neill), but sadly they were very wide of the mark. I hope that my politics is far more accurate.

The hon. Member for Beckenham raised a question about mayoral strategies being ready in advance of the May 2008 elections and about the coincidence of timing. I would have thought that the Opposition parties would be pleased at having the opportunity to see the Mayor’s strategies in advance of an election. I would have thought that they would believe that it was to their advantage to see the Mayor’s plans because it gives them a platform to campaign against, rather than not having such an opportunity, leaving them to ask questions about why the plans were not ready and what people were actually being asked to vote for. The hon. Member for Cities of London and Westminster (Mr. Field) made the point that, on balance, we are happy that the Mayor will be able to produce strategies, because Londoners will be able to vote on the policies and proposals rather than on more abstract concepts.

The question of pedicabs was also raised by the hon. Member for Cities of London and Westminster. That issue is not covered in the Bill, and I acknowledge his regret that his amendment was not selected for debate. The Government believe that the Bill is not an appropriate vehicle for dealing with the matter as it is a more local issue.

4.30 pm

The hon. Member for Bromley and Chislehurst made some strong points about consultation. Those points were also made by him and other hon. Members in Committee. They have been acknowledged, but we genuinely believe that lifting the bar to political representatives being appointed to the board of Transport for London will have a positive effect on its ability to respond to matters that are appropriately raised with it.

My hon. Friend the Member for Crewe and Nantwich (Mrs. Dunwoody) and others mentioned the extension of mayoral powers in regard to the geographical area that the Mayor covers, as opposed to that which he may have extended to him. She also asked about the consultation. The hon. Member for Cities of London and Westminster explained that the power to grant the Mayor control or influence over rail services outside London is not in the Bill, but was in the Railways Act 2005. The Department for Transport subsequently consulted on the matter last year, and that consultation closed at the end of May 2006. The Mayor has no such powers at present. The Railways Act seeks to provide greater integration, which would allow some additional powers outside London. That was what the consultation was all about. The Government are still considering the case for extending the Mayor’s powers over rail, and we will make an announcement on that imminently.

Question put and agreed to.

Clause read a Second time, and added to the Bill.

New Clause 15

Transitional provision relating to consultation

‘(1) In the case of any strategy referred to in a provision mentioned in column A of the Table in subsection (2), any consultation undertaken by the Mayor—

(a) after the day on which this Act is passed, but

(b) before the coming into force of that provision,

is to be as effective for the purposes of the corresponding provision in column C of that Table as if it had been undertaken after the provision in column A had come into force.

Column B of the Table identifies the provision of this Act which inserts the corresponding provision mentioned in column A.

(2) The provisions are—

(3) Any consultation carried out by the Mayor with the Regional Director of Public Health for London—

(a) after the day on which this Act is passed, but

(b) before the coming into force of sections 309A and 309B of the GLA Act 1999 (Regional Director to be Health Adviser to GLA),

is to be as effective for the purposes of section 309G(4) of the GLA Act 1999 as if it had been carried out with the Health Adviser.

Sections 309A and 309B of the GLA Act 1999 are inserted by section 21(1) of this Act.’.—[Jim Fitzpatrick.]

Brought up, read the First and Second time, and added to the Bill.

New Clause 1

London Waste Authority

‘(1) After section 359 of the GLA Act 1999 (confidential information about waste contracts) insert—

“359A London Waste Authority

(1) There shall be a body corporate to be known as the London Waste Authority.

(2) The London Waste Authority shall have the functions conferred or imposed on it by this Act, or made exercisable by it under this Act, and any reference in this Act to the functions of the London Waste Authority includes a reference to any functions made exercisable by it under this Act.

(3) The London Waste Authority shall have—

(a) the functions of the waste disposal authority for Greater London for the purposes of Part 2 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 (c. 43), and

(b) any other such functions as are conferred or imposed on it by this Act.

(4) The London Waste Authority shall exercise its functions—

(a) in accordance with such guidance or directions as may be issued to it by the Mayor under section 359B(1),

(b) for the purpose of facilitating the discharge by the Greater London Authority of the duties under sections 353 to 361E, and

(c) for the purpose of securing or facilitating the implementation of the municipal waste management strategy.

(5) Schedule 29A shall have effect with respect to the London Waste Authority.

(6) The control of places provided for the deposit of household waste in Greater London under section 1(1) of the Refuse Disposal (Amenity) Act 1978 (c. 3) and 51(1)(b) of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 (c. 43) shall transfer to the London Waste Authority.

(7) The authorities established by Parts 2, 3, 4 and 5 of Schedule 1 to the Waste Regulation and Disposal (Authorities) Order 1985 (S.I., 1985/1884) are dissolved, whereupon any remaining property, rights or liabilities are transferred to the London Waste Authority.

359B Directions etc by the Mayor

(1) The Mayor may issue to the London Waste Authority—

(a) guidance as to the manner in which it is to exercise its functions,

(b) general directions as to the manner in which it is to exercise its functions, or

(c) specific directions as to the exercise of its functions.

(2) Directions issued by the Mayor under subsection (1)(c) may include a direction not to exercise a power specified in the direction.

(3) The guidance or directions which may be issued by the Mayor under subsection (1) may include in particular guidance or directions as to the manner in which the London Waste Authority—

(a) is to perform any of its duties, or

(b) is to conduct any legal proceedings.

(4) Any guidance or directions issued under subsection (1) must be issued in writing and notified to such officer of the London Waste Authority as it may from time to time nominate to the Mayor for the purpose.”.

(2) After Schedule 29 of the GLA Act 1999 insert Schedule 29A set out in Schedule [London Waste Authority] to this Act.

(3) Schedule [London Waste Authority - consequential amendments] shall have effect.’.—[Ms Buck.]

Brought up, and read the First time.

I beg to move, That the clause be read a Second time.

With this it will be convenient to discuss the following:

New clause 2—Powers and duties of the London Waste Authority—

‘(1) After section 359B of the GLA Act 1999 (inserted by section [London Waste Authority] (1) of this Act) insert—

“359C  Sustainable disposal of waste

When exercising its functions under section 51(1)(a) of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 (c. 43) (functions of waste disposal authorities), the London Waste Authority shall—

(a) do so in a manner calculated to contribute towards the achievement of sustainable development in the United Kingdom,

(b) take into account any policies announced by Her Majesty’s Government with respect to climate change or the consequences of climate change, and

(c) comply with any guidance or directions issued to the London Waste Authority by the Secretary of State or the Mayor with respect to the means by which, or manner in which, the London Waste Authority is to perform the duties imposed on it by paragraph (a) or (b) above.

359D Publicity and advice

(1) The London Waste Authority may promote or undertake publicity in any form.

(2) The London Waste Authority shall promote—

(a) the reduction and reuse of waste in Greater London, and

(b) the sustainable management of waste in Greater London.

(3) The London Waste Authority may advise companies operating in Greater London on the items referred to in subsection (2).

359E Waste management

The London Waste Authority may apply for a waste management licence under section 36 (grant of licences) of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 (c. 43) for the purposes of treating, keeping or disposing of waste that is delivered to it by a person other than a waste collection authority.

359F Power of the London Waste Authority to promote or oppose Bills in Parliament

(1) The London Waste Authority—

(a) may promote a local Bill in Parliament; and

(b) may oppose any local Bill in Parliament.

(2) Subsection (1)(a) applies only if the Greater London Authority—

(a) gives its written consent to the Bill; and

(b) confirms that consent in writing as soon as practicable after the expiration of 14 days after Bill has been deposited in Parliament.

(3) If the Greater London Authority does not confirm the consent as required by subsection (2)(b), it shall give notice of that fact to the London Waste Authority, which shall take all necessary steps for the withdrawal of the Bill.

(4) If the Authority, in giving notice under subsection (3), states that it confirms its consent to the Bill if provisions specified in the notice are omitted or are amended as so specified, the London Waste Authority may, instead of withdrawing the Bill pursuant to subsection (3), take all necessary steps for the omission or, as the case may be, the amendment of the provisions in question in accordance with the notice.

(5) Without prejudice to subsections (2) to (4), the functions conferred on the London Waste Authority by subsection (1)(a) are exercisable subject to, and in accordance with, the provisions of Schedule 29B.

(6) Subsection (1)(b) applies only if the Greater London Authority gives its written consent to the London Waste Authority to oppose the Bill.

(7) If—

(a) the London Waste Authority deposits a petition against a Bill in Parliament, but

(b) the consent required by subsection (6) has not been given before the end of the period of 30 days following the day on which the petition is deposited,

the London Waste Authority shall take all necessary steps for the withdrawal of the petition.

(8) The functions conferred or imposed on the Greater London Authority by this section shall be functions of the Greater London Authority which are exercisable by the Mayor acting on behalf of the Greater London Authority.

(9) Before exercising the functions conferred on the Greater London Authority by subsections (2)(a) or (b), (4) or (6), the Mayor shall consult the Assembly.

359G Joint exercise of functions

(1) The London Waste Authority may discharge any of its functions jointly with one or more local authorities and, where arrangements are in force for them to do so,—

(a) they may also arrange for the discharge of those functions by a joint committee of theirs or by an officer of one of them and section 101(2) of the Local Government Act 1972 (c. 70) shall apply in relation to those functions as it applies in relation to the functions of the individual authorities; and

(b) any enactment relating to those functions or the authorities by whom or the areas in respect of which they are to be discharged shall have effect subject to all necessary modifications in its application in relation to those functions and the authorities by whom and the areas in respect of which (whether in pursuance of the arrangements or otherwise) they are to be discharged.

(2) Arrangements made under subsection (1) by the London Waste Authority and one or more local authorities with respect to the discharge of any of their functions shall cease to have effect with respect to that function if, or to the extent that, the function becomes the responsibility of an executive of any of the local authorities.

(3) Subsection (2) does not affect arrangements made by virtue of section 20 of the Local Government Act 2000 (c. 22) (joint exercise of functions).”.

(2) In section 360(1) of the GLA Act 1999 for “359” substitute “359G”.

(3) In section 51(4A) of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 (c. 43) after “but” insert “in the case of a waste disposal authority that is not the London Waste Authority”.

(4) After section 51(1) of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 (c. 43) insert—

“(1A) It shall be the duty of the London Waste Authority to arrange for places to be provided at which persons resident in its area may deposit their household waste to be reused or recycled and to make arrangements for the reuse and recycling of such waste.”.

(5) Section 48(2) (duties of waste collection authorities as respects disposal of waste collected) of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 shall not apply to waste collection authorities in Greater London.

(6) After Schedule 29A of the GLA Act 1999 (inserted by section [London Waste Authority] (2) of this Act) insert Schedule 29B set out in Schedule [Promotion of Bills in Parliament by the London Waste Authority] to this Act.’.

New clause 3—Mayor to prepare minerals and waste development scheme—

‘(1) PCPA 2004 shall be amended as follows—

(a) in section 16(1) after “district council” insert “and the Mayor of London”; and

(b) in section 16(3)(a) after “county council” insert “and the Mayor of London, as appropriate”.

(2) The Town and Country Planning (Local Development) (England) Regulations 2004 (S.I. 2004/2204) shall be amended as follows—

(a) in regulation 3(1)(b)(ii) after “county council” insert “and the Mayor of London”;

(b) in regulation 12(3) after “scheme” insert “prepared by a county council”; and

(c) after regulation 12(3) insert—

“(4) Where paragraph (1) or (2) applies to a minerals and waste development scheme prepared by the Mayor of London, within 2 weeks he must send a copy of—

(a) the scheme, or

(b) the scheme incorporating the revision,

to each local planning authority in Greater London.”.’.

New clause 4—Municipal waste management strategy—

‘(1) The GLA Act 1999 shall be amended as follows—

(a) omit “municipal” in—

(i) section 353(2)(b) (the Mayor’s municipal waste management strategy), and

(ii) section 353(5)(e); and

(b) in section 355 (duties of waste collection authorities etc.) for “Part II” substitute “Part 2 or section 89 of Part 4”.

(2) After section 357(4) of the GLA Act 1999 insert—

“(4A) Where the Mayor has been notified by a waste authority under subsection (1), (2) or (4) he shall consult the London Waste Authority.”.’.

New clause 5—London waste charging scheme—

‘After section 359G of the GLA Act 1999 (inserted by section [Powers and duties of the London Waste Authority] (1) of this Act) insert—

“359H London waste charging scheme

(1) The Mayor may by order make a scheme to charge waste collection authorities in London for the delivery of waste to the London Waste Authority, to be known as the London waste charging scheme.

(2) An order under this section may—

(a) specify charges for the delivery to the London Waste Authority by a waste collection authority of waste;

(b) impose a charge per tonne of delivered waste;

(c) impose separate charges for different types of waste based on the technology or processes used to manage or dispose of such waste;

(d) make different provisions for different cases, including different provisions in relation to different waste collection authorities, circumstances or localities;

(e) provide for the times at which, and the manner in which, the charges prescribed by the scheme are to be paid;

(f) revoke or amend any previous charging scheme; or

(g) contain supplemental, incidental, consequential or transitional provisions for the purposes of the scheme.

(3) The power of the Mayor to make an order under this section includes a power exercisable by order to revoke, amend or re-enact any such order.

(4) An order made by the Mayor under this section shall not have effect unless and until it is confirmed by an order made by the Secretary of State.”.’.

New clause 6—Transfer schemes—

‘After section 359H of the GLA Act 1999 (inserted by section [London waste charging scheme] of this Act) insert—

“359I Transfer schemes

(1) The power conferred by subsection (2) is exercisable in connection with the establishment of the London Waste Authority.

(2) The London Waste Authority may make one or more schemes for the transfer of property, rights or liabilities from any body falling within subsection (3) to any other such body as specified in or determined in accordance with the scheme.

(3) Those bodies are—

(a) the London Waste Authority,

(b) any subsidiary of the London Waste Authority;

(c) any local authority in Greater London; and

(d) an authority established by Part 2, 3, 4 or 5 of Schedule 1 to the Waste Regulation and Disposal (Authorities) Order 1985 (S.I., 1985/1884).

(4) On a date specified by a scheme as the date on which the scheme is to have effect, the designated property, rights or liabilities are transferred and vest in accordance with the scheme.

(5) A scheme under this section shall not take effect unless and until it has been approved by the Mayor.

(6) Where a scheme under this section is submitted to the Mayor for his approval, he may, after consultation with the London Waste Authority, modify the scheme before approving it.

(7) The transfers which may be made by virtue of a scheme under this section include transfers taking effect before, on or after the dissolution of the joint waste authorities under section 359A(7).

(8) Schedule 12 (which makes further provision in relation to schemes under this section) shall have effect.”.’.

New clause 7—Litter—

‘(1) Section 360 of the GLA Act 1999 (interpretation) is amended as follows.

(2) In the definition of “waste contract” in subsection (2) for “Part 2 of that Act (waste on land)” substitute “Part 2 (waste on land) or section 89 of Part 4 (Litter etc.) of that Act”.’.

Amendment No. 1, in clause 39, page 41, line 45, at end insert—

‘(iv) the London Waste Authority,’.

New schedule 1—‘London Waste Authority

This is the Schedule that is to be inserted as Schedule 29A to the GLA Act 1999—

“Schedule 29A

London Waste Authority

Part 1

Establishment

Status and Capacity

1 (1) The London Waste Authority shall not be regarded as the servant or agent of the Crown or as enjoying any status, immunity or privilege of the Crown.

(2) The members and staff of the London Waste Authority shall not be regarded as civil servants and the property of the London Waste Authority shall not be regarded as property of, or held on behalf of, the Crown.

(3) It shall be within the capacity of the London Waste Authority to do such things and enter into such transactions as are calculated to facilitate, or are conducive or incidental to, the discharge of any of its functions.

Membership of the London Waste Authority

2 (1) The London Waste Authority shall consist of fifteen members appointed by the Mayor of whom no fewer than six have been nominated by, and (at the time of their appointment) are elected members of—

(a) a London borough council, or

(b) the Common Council of the City of London.

(2) The Mayor may determine the process of nominating and appointing members under sub-paragraph (1).

(3) The Mayor cannot appoint himself as a member of the London Waste Authority.

(4) In appointing a person under sub-paragraph (1), the Mayor shall have regard to the desirability of ensuring that the members of the London Waste Authority between them have experience in—

(a) running a business,

(b) delivering large capital programmes,

(c) regeneration,

(d) waste management, and

(e) recycling.

(5) The terms and conditions of appointment of a member of the London Waste Authority (including conditions as to remuneration) shall be such as the Mayor may determine.

(6) The Mayor may, by notice to a member of the London Waste Authority, remove that member from office.

Chairman and deputy chairmen

3 The Mayor shall designate—

(a) one of the members of the London Waste Authority to be chairman of the London Waste Authority, and

(b) another of the members to be deputy chairman of the London Waste Authority.

Staff

4 (1) The London Waste Authority may appoint such staff as it considers necessary for assisting in the exercise of any of its functions.

(2) The staff of the London Waste Authority shall be appointed on such terms and conditions (including conditions as to remuneration) as the London Waste Authority shall determine

Proceedings of the London Waste Authority

5 (1) Subject to the provisions of this Schedule, the London Waste Authority may regulate its own procedures and that of the committees of the London Waste Authority and sub-committees of such committees (and in particular may specify a quorum for meetings).

(2) The validity of any proceedings of the London Waste Authority shall not be affected—

(a) by any vacancy among the members or in the office of chairman or deputy chairman, or

(b) by any defect in the appointment of any person as a member, or as chairman or deputy chairman, of the London Waste Authority.

Membership of committees and sub-committees

6 (1) A committee of the London Waste Authority or a sub-committee of such a committee may include persons who are not members of the London Waste Authority.

(2) A person who is a member of a committee of the London Waste Authority or a sub-committee of such a committee but is not a member of the London Waste Authority shall be a non-voting member of the committee or sub-committee.

General powers

7 (1) The London Waste Authority may form, promote and assist, or join with any other person in forming, promoting and assisting, a company for the purpose of—

(a) carrying on any activities which the London Waste Authority has power to carry on, or

(b) carrying on such activities together with activities which the London Waste Authority does not have power to carry on.

(2) The London Waste Authority may enter into and carry out agreements with any person for the carrying on by that person, whether as agent for the London Waste Authority or otherwise, of any activities which the London Waste Authority has power to carry on (and, in particular, with respect to the disposal of waste).

(3) The London Waste Authority may also enter into and carry out an agreement with any person for the carrying on by that person (“the contractor”) of any activities which the London Waste Authority does not have the power to carry on if the agreement includes provision for one or more of the following, namely—

(a) the carrying on by the contractor of such activities as are mentioned in sub-paragraph (2);

(b) the provision by the contractor to the London Waste Authority of services ancillary to the disposal of waste; and

(c) the use by the contractor of land or other property owned by the London Waste Authority, or transferred to the contractor by the London Waste Authority, for the purposes of the agreement.

(4) Where an agreement has been entered into under sub-paragraph (2) or (3), the powers conferred on the London Waste Authority by that subsection include power to enter into and carry out other agreements with other persons for the purpose of—

(a) fulfilling any condition which must be fulfilled before the agreement can have effect; or

(b) satisfying any requirement imposed by or under the agreement.

(5) Where—

(a) a company has been formed in the exercise of the powers conferred by sub-paragraph (1) (whether by the London Waste Authority alone or by the London Waste Authority jointly with some other person); or

(b) the London Waste Authority has entered into an agreement with any person in exercise of its powers under sub-paragraph (2) or (3),

the London Waste Authority may enter into arrangements with that company or person for the transfer from the London Waste Authority to that company or person, in such manner and on such terms (including payments by any of the parties to the arrangements to any of the other parties) as may be provided for by the arrangements, of any property, rights or liabilities of the London Waste Authority relevant to the purpose for which the company was formed or (as the case may be) to the performance by that person of his obligations under the agreement.

(6) The London Waste Authority shall have power to enter into and carry out agreements with—

(a) any of its subsidiaries; or

(b) any person with whom it has entered into an agreement by virtue of sub-paragraph (2) or (3),

providing for the London Waste Authority to give assistance to the other party to the agreement by making available to that party any services, amenities or facilities provided by, or any works or land or other property belonging to, the London Waste Authority, on such terms (including the reciprocal provision by that other party for similar assistance for the London Waste Authority) as may be agreed between them.

(7) The power of the London Waste Authority under sub-paragraph (2) or (3) to enter into an agreement as there mentioned is exercisable notwithstanding that the agreement involves the delegation of the functions of the London Waste Authority under any enactment relating to any part of its undertaking.

Delegation by the London Waste Authority

8 (1) Subject to any express provision contained in this Act or any Act passed after this Act, the London Waste Authority may arrange for any of its functions to be discharged on its behalf by—

(a) any committee of the London Waste Authority,

(b) any sub-committee of such a committee,

(c) any wholly owned subsidiary (within the meaning of section 736(2) of the Companies Act 1985) of the London Waste Authority,

(d) any member of officer of the London Waste Authority, or

(e) any body of members or officers, or members and officers, of the London Waste Authority.

(2) Where the London Waste Authority makes arrangements under this paragraph for the discharge of any function, the person or body by whom the function is to be discharged shall exercise the function subject to any conditions imposed by the London Waste Authority.

(3) Arrangements made by the London Waste Authority for the discharge of functions under this paragraph shall not prevent the London Waste Authority from exercising those functions.

Delegation by committees, sub-committees, etc

9 (1) Where the London Waste Authority makes arrangements for the discharge of any function by a committee under paragraph 7, the committee may (subject to any conditions imposed by the London Waste Authority) arrange for the discharge of the function on its behalf by—

(a) any sub committee of the committee,

(b) any member or officer of the London Waste Authority, or

(c) any body of members or officers, or members and officers, of the London Waste Authority.

(2) Where—

(a) the London Waste Authority makes arrangements for the discharge of any function by a sub-committee under paragraph 7, or

(b) a committee of the London Waste Authority makes arrangements for the discharge of any function by a sub-committee under sub-paragraph (1),

the sub-committee may (subject to any conditions imposed by the London Waste Authority or the committee) arrange for the discharge of the function on its behalf by any member or officer of the London Waste Authority, or any body of members or officers, or members and officers, of the London Waste Authority.

(3) Where a committee or sub-committee makes arrangements under this paragraph for the discharge of any function, the person or body by whom the function is to be discharged shall exercise the function subject to any conditions imposed by the committee or sub-committee.

(4) Arrangements made by a committee or sub-committee for the discharge of functions under this paragraph shall not prevent the committee or sub-committee from exercising those functions.

Joint committees with local authorities

10 (1) The London Waste Authority shall be treated as a local authority for the purposes of the following provisions of the Local Government Act 1972 (c. 70) (arrangements for the discharge of functions of a local authority by joint committees with other local authorities)—

(a) section 101(5),

(b) section 102, apart from subsection (1)(a) and subsection (4), to the extent that it would permit the London Waste Authority to appoint a committee that is not a joint committee, and

(c) section 103.

(2) Nothing in section 13 of the Local Government and Housing Act 1989 (c. 42) (voting rights of members of certain committees: England and Wales) shall require a person to be treated as a non-voting member of a committee appointed by the London Waste Authority and one or more other local authorities by virtue of section 101(5) of the Local Government Act 1972 if that person—

(a) is appointed to the committee by the London Waste Authority, and

(b) is not a member of the London Waste Authority.

Minutes

11 (1) Minutes shall be kept of proceedings of the London Waste Authority, of its committees and sub-committees of such committees.

(2) Minutes of any proceedings shall be evidence of those proceedings if they are signed by a person purporting to have acted as chairman of the proceedings to which the minutes relate or of any subsequent proceedings in the course of which the minutes were approved as a correct record.

(3) Where minutes of any such proceedings have been signed as mentioned in sub-paragraph (2), those proceedings shall, unless the contrary is shown, be deemed to have been validly convened and constituted.

Application of seal and proof of instruments

12 (1) The application of the seal of the London Waste Authority shall be authenticated by the signature of any member, officer or member of staff of the London Waste Authority who has been authorised for the purpose, whether generally or specially, by the London Waste Authority.

(2) In sub-paragraph (1) the reference to the signature of a person includes a reference to a facsimile of a signature by whatever process reproduced; and, in paragraph 13, the word “signed” shall be construed accordingly.

Documents service etc. on the London Waste Authority

13 (1) Any document which the London Waste Authority is authorised or required by or under any enactment to serve, make or issue may be signed on behalf of the London Waste Authority by any member, officer or member of staff of the London Waste Authority who has been authorised for the purpose, whether generally or specially, by the London Waste Authority.

(2) Every document purporting to be an instrument made or issued by or on behalf of the London Waste Authority and to be duly executed under the seal of the London Waste Authority, or to be signed or executed by a person authorised by the London Waste Authority for the purpose, shall be received in evidence and be treated, without further proof, as being made or so issued unless the contrary is shown.

(3) Any notice which is required or authorised, by or under any provision of any other Act, to be given, served or issued by, to or on the London Waste Authority shall be in writing.

Members’ interests

14 (1) If a member of the London Waste Authority has any interest, whether direct or indirect, and whether pecuniary or not, in any matter that is brought up for consideration at a meeting of the London Waste Authority he shall disclose the nature of the interest to the meeting; and, where such a disclosure is made—

(a) the disclosure shall be recorded in the minutes of the meeting; and

(b) the member shall not take any part in any deliberation or decision of the London Waste Authority, or any of its committees or sub-committees, with respect to that matter.

(2) A member need not attend in person at a meeting of the London Waste Authority in order to make a disclosure which he is required to make under this paragraph if he takes reasonable steps to ensure that the disclosure is made by a notice which is read and considered at the meeting.

(3) The Mayor may, subject to such conditions as he considers appropriate, remove any disability imposed by virtue of this paragraph in any case where the number of members of the London Waste Authority disabled by virtue of this paragraph at any one time would be so great a proportion of the whole as to impede the transaction of business.

(4) The power of the Mayor under sub-paragraph (3) includes power to remove, either indefinitely or for any period, a disability which would otherwise attach to any member, or members of any description, by reason of such interests, and in respect of such matters, as may be specified or described by the Mayor.

(5) Where the Mayor exercises the power under sub-paragraph (3) to remove a disability—

(a) he shall notify the London Waste Authority that he has done so, and of this reasons for doing so, and

(b) the removal of the disability and the Mayor’s reasons shall be recorded in the minutes of the London Waste Authority.

(6) If any person fails to comply with the provisions of sub-paragraph (1), he shall for each offence be liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding level 4 on the standard scale unless he proves that he did not know that the contract, proposed contract or other matter in which he had the interest was the subject of consideration at the Meeting.

(7) A prosecution for an offence under this paragraph shall not be instituted except by or on behalf of the Director of Public Prosecutions.

(8) The London Waste Authority may provide for the exclusion of a member from a meeting of the London Waste Authority while any contract, proposed contract or other matter in which he has such an interest as is mentioned in sub-paragraph (1) is under consideration.

(9) Section 95 of the Local Government Act 1972 (pecuniary interests for the purposes of section 94) shall apply for the purposes of this paragraph as it applies for the purposes of that section.

(10) Section 96 of that Act (general notices and recording of disclosures for the purposes of section 94) shall apply for the purposes of this paragraph, but taking—

(a) any reference to a proper officer of the authority as a reference to an officer appointed by the London Waste Authority for the purpose;

(b) any reference to a member of the authority as a reference to a member of the London Waste Authority;

(c) any reference to premises owned by the authority as a reference to premises owned by the London Waste Authority; and

(d) any reference to section 94 of that Act as a reference to this paragraph.

(11) Subsections (4) and (5) of section 97 of that Act (disregard of certain interests for the purposes of section 94) shall apply in relation to this paragraph as they apply in relation to section 94 of that Act, but as if—

(a) the members of the London Waste Authority were members of a local authority; and

(b) in subsection (5), for “a pecuniary interest” there were substituted “an interest (whether pecuniary or not)”.

(12) Section 19 of the Local Government and Housing Act 1989 (members’ interests) shall apply as if—

(a) the London Waste Authority were a local authority;

(b) the members of the London Waste Authority were the members of that local authority;

(c) an officer appointed by the London Waste Authority for the purpose were the proper officer of that local authority;

(d) any reference to a pecuniary interest were a reference to an interest, whether pecuniary or not; and

(e) any reference to section 94 of the Local Government Act 1972 were a reference to this paragraph.

15 (1) Subject to the following provisions of this paragraph and paragraph 16, the Secretary of State may authorise the London Waste Authority to purchase compulsorily any land which is required by the London Waste Authority or a subsidiary of the London Waste Authority for the purposes of the discharge of any function.

(2) The Acquisition of Land Act 1981 (c. 67) shall apply to any compulsory purchase by virtue of sub-paragraph (1).

(3) The London Waste Authority shall not by virtue of sub-paragraph (1) submit to the Secretary of State a compulsory purchase order authorising the acquisition of any land in accordance with section 2(2) of the Acquisition of Land Act 1981 unless the Mayor has given his consent.

(4) Subject to sub-paragraph (5), the power of purchasing land compulsorily in this paragraph includes power to acquire an easement or other right over land by the creation of a new right.

(5) Sub-paragraph (4) does not apply to an easement or other right over land which forms part of a common, open space or fuel or field garden allotment within the meaning of section 19 of the Acquisition of Land Act 1981.

16 The London Waste Authority does not have power to acquire land (or any interest in land) for purposes which are not related to any of the activities, other than the development of land, of the London Waste Authority or any subsidiary of the London Waste Authority.”.’.

New schedule 2—‘London Waste Authority—consequential arrangements—

The Greater London Authority Act 1999

1 (1) The GLA Act 1999 shall be amended as follows.

(2) For section 353(5)(b) (the Mayor’s municipal waste management strategy) substitute “(b) the London Waste Authority”.

(3) In section 353(5)(d) for “waste disposal authorities in Greater London” substitute “the London Waste Authority”.

(4) In section 355 (duties of waste collection authorities etc.) for “each of the waste disposal authorities in Greater London” substitute “the London Waste Authority”.

(5) In section 356(1) (directions by the Mayor) for “a waste disposal authority in Greater London” substitute “the London Waste Authority”.

(6) In section 360(1) for “359” substitute “359B”.

(7) In section 360(2) (interpretation of sections 353 to 359)—

(a) in the definition of “municipal waste” for paragraph (b) substitute “the London Waste Authority”;

(b) in the definition of “waste authority” for paragraph (b) substitute “the London Waste Authority”; and

(c) in the definition of “waste disposal authority in Greater London” omit “in Greater London”.

(8) In section 424(1) (interpretation) in the definition of “functional body”, after “(b) the London Development Agency” insert “(ba) the London Waste Authority”.

The Environmental Protection Act 1990

2 (1) The Environmental Protection Act 1990 (c. 43) shall be amended as follows.

(2) For section 30(2)(b) (authorities for the purposes of this part) substitute “in Greater London, the London Waste Authority”.

(3) In section 44A(5)(a) (national waste strategy: England and Wales) after “Agency” insert “and the London Waste Authority,”.

The Joint Waste Disposal Authorities (Recycling Payments) (Disapplication) (England) Order 2006

3 In article 2 of the Joint Waste Disposal Authorities (Recycling Payments) (Disapplication) (England) Order 2006 (S.I. 2006/651) for “an authority established under regulation 2(1) of the Waste Regulation and Disposal (Authorities) Order 1985 and named in Schedule 1 to that Order” substitute “the London Waste Authority”.

The Refuse Disposal (Amenity) Act 1978

4 (1) The Refuse Disposal (Amenity) Act 1978 (c. 3) shall be modified as follows.

(2) Section 3(6) shall have effect as if—

(a) “whose area is included in the area of a London waste disposal authority” were omitted, and

(b) for “the authority in question” were substituted “the London Waste Authority, the Greater Manchester Waste Disposal Authority or the Merseyside Waste Disposal Authority, as the case may be”.

(3) Section 3(8) shall have effect as if for “a London waste disposal authority” were substituted “the London Waste Authority”.

(4) Section 4(8) shall have effect as if—

(a) for “in the area of a London waste disposal authority, that authority” were substituted “in Greater London, the London Waste Authority”, and

(b) section 4(8)(b) were omitted.

(5) Section 5(4) shall have effect as if for “whose area is included in the area of a London waste disposal authority, that authority” were substituted “, the London Waste Authority”.

(6) Section 5(5)(a) shall have effect as if—

(a) “whose area is included in the area of a London waste disposal authority” were omitted, and

(b) for “the authority in question” were substituted “the London Waste Authority, the Greater Manchester Waste Disposal Authority or the Merseyside Waste Disposal Authority, as the case may be”.’.

New schedule 3—Promotion of Bills in Parliament by the London Waste Authority—

This is the Schedule that is to be inserted as Schedule 29B to the GLA Act 1999—

“Schedule 29B

Promotions of Bills in Parliament by the London Waste Authority

Preliminary requirements

1 No Bill may be deposited in Parliament by virtue of section 359F(1)(a) until the requirements of paragraph 2 have been complied with.

Consultation on draft Bill

2 (1) The London Waste Authority shall—

(a) prepare a draft of the proposed Bill (“the draft Bill”);

(b) send copies of the draft Bill to the bodies and persons specified in sub-paragraph (2);and

(c) consult those bodies and persons about the draft Bill.

(2) Those bodies and persons are—

(a) the Mayor;

(b) the Assembly;

(c) every London borough council; and

(d) the Common Council.

(3) Where the London Waste Authority sends copies of the draft Bill to those bodies and persons pursuant to sub-paragraph (1)(b), it shall also give those bodies and persons notice of the time within which, and the place at which, they may make representations about the draft Bill.

Publicity for, and exposure of, the draft Bill

3 (1) Throughout the consultation period, the London Waste Authority shall take such steps as in its opinion will give adequate publicity to the draft Bill.

(2) A copy of the draft Bill shall be kept available by the London Waste Authority for inspection by any person on request free of charge—

(a) at the principal offices of the London Waste Authority, and

(b) at such other places as the London Waste Authority considers appropriate

at reasonable hours throughout the consultation period.

(3) A copy of the draft Bill, or of any part of the draft Bill, shall be supplied to any person on request during the consultation period for such reasonable fee as the London Waste Authority may determine.

(4) In this paragraph “the consultation period” means the period which—

(a) begins with the first day after the requirements of paragraph 2(1)(b) have been complied with; and

(b) ends with the time notified pursuant to paragraph 2(3).

Deposit of the Bill in Parliament

4 (1) If, after the requirements of paragraph 2 have been complied with, a Bill is deposited in Parliament by virtue of section 359F(1)(a), that Bill must be in the form of the draft Bill, either as originally prepared or as modified to take account of—

(a) representations made pursuant to paragraph 2;

(b) other representations made within the consultation period; or

(c) other material considerations.

(2) In this paragraph “the consultation period” has the same meaning as in paragraph 3.

Bills affecting statutory functions of London local authorities

5 (1) If a Bill proposed to be deposited in Parliament by virtue of section 359F(1)(a) contains provisions affecting the exercise of statutory function by a London local authority, the Bill shall not be deposited in Parliament unless—

(a) in a case where the exercise of statutory functions of one London local authority is affected, that authority has given its written consent to the Bill in the form in which it is to be so deposited; or

(b) in a case where the exercise of statutory functions of two or more London local authorities is affected, at least 90 per cent. of all London local authorities have given their written consent to the Bill in that form.

(2) In this paragraph “London local authority” means—

(a) a London borough council; or

(b) the Common Council.

Publicity for the deposited Bill

6 (1) This paragraph applies where a Bill (“the deposited Bill”) is deposited in Parliament by virtue of section 359F(1)(a).

(2) During the period of 14 days following the day on which the deposited Bill is deposited in Parliament, the London Waste Authority shall take such steps as in its opinion will give adequate publicity to the Bill.

(3) A copy of the deposited Bill shall be kept available by the London Waste Authority for inspection by any person on request free of charge—

(a) at the principal offices of the London Waste Authority, and

(b) at such other places as the London Waste Authority considers appropriate,

at reasonable hours throughout the period the Bill is in Parliament.

(4) A copy of the deposited Bill, or of any part of the deposited Bill, shall be supplied to any person on request during that period for such reasonable fee as the London Waste Authority may determine.”.’.

Amendment No. 2, in schedule 2, page 53, line 36 , at end insert—‘Section 356(3).’.

I am grateful to have this opportunity to revisit the arguments that we had in Committee over the proposal to establish a single strategic waste disposal authority for London. We aired the arguments well in Committee, but none the less I remain of the view that the Government are missing the opportunity to make an important contribution to the efficient delivery of waste services and to achieve associated benefits, particularly in the area of environmental gain. It is relevant to note that today the Mayor has put forward a plan for reducing carbon in London and making London one of the leading global cities in achieving climate change targets. I am proud of the fact that—thanks to the Government and the devolution of London government that was achieved in the run-up to 2000 and subsequently—we now have a London government able to take such a lead. However, there are areas of service delivery in which we could put serious extra weight behind the capacity to achieve those targets.

The most important issue is that the present system is failing to deliver, and that it has been doing so for the past 20 years. The arguments put forward by the Government and the Opposition that incline the Government to believe that we are about to see a radical change are implausible, given that failure to deliver. A dynamic 21st-century London is still managing its waste as if it were in the Victorian era, with 16 different waste disposal authorities. No other world city has such a fragmented and incoherent delivery structure and, consequently, such a poor waste and recycling performance. The days of London being able to bury its waste problems in other people’s back yards are well and truly numbered. Our capital city faces a step change in the way in which it manages its waste. A creaky and declining infrastructure, based on exporting waste to landfill, must be replaced by a new and rapidly expanding infrastructure that is based on recycling and the recovery of renewable energy from London’s waste.

That challenge is daunting enough, but what is even more worrying is that, in order to achieve that and to avoid potentially massive landfill fines, London councils should have started years ago. The challenge was known. The penalties and the costs of not acting were clear. However, the snail’s pace has continued in spite of that. The first real crunch point comes in about three years, and yet there is still no sense of urgency among those in charge.

Although I recognise that potent arguments are being made for one waste authority, does the hon. Lady not feel that the way in which some local authorities are now working together suggests that perhaps a grass-roots approach of different boroughs combining to deliver on the important issue of recycling would be likely to be more effective than making the straight jump to a single waste authority?

I will give a straight answer to a straight question: no. Clearly, compared with chaos, evidence that London authorities are working together is a sign of progress; I accept that there is some sign that there is more co-ordinated working than there has been in the past. However, the whole thrust of my argument is that the challenge is so great and the progress so slow that there is no reason to believe that a grass-roots delivery will be capable of meeting the challenge.

Perhaps the hon. Lady did not do the question asked by the hon. Member for Croydon, Central (Mr. Pelling) that much justice. Will she explain why, for instance, we might not see the lowest common denominator applied and the best authorities doing worse under a single waste authority?

Part of the answer to that is that I am not sure that that necessarily matters that much. The single thing that matters is that, across the city, we are capable of raising our game across the board. Clearly, we want to see every authority performing better. There are some authorities that perform well. Bexley, for example, is performing well on its recycling. There are many other authorities that perform very badly. Our first task must be to ensure that we raise the performance of those laggardly authorities. If we could then achieve a better performance among the high-performing authorities, that would be excellent. However, the key thing is that London as a global city is lagging behind, and London, as a city, has to perform better.

I am listening with great interest to the points that the hon. Lady is making. She mentioned the borough of Bexley, which is superb at recycling. Its achievements and progress have been tremendous. Surely what she proposes would be a disincentive to places such as Bexley to continue to do the good work that they are doing.

I am at a complete loss to understand why that might be so, unless the hon. Gentleman is making the argument—an argument that I do not accept—that the only incentive to a better performance is competition between boroughs. That rather cuts across the argument put forward by the hon. Member for Croydon, Central (Mr. Pelling), who said that authorities are now working collaboratively. All authorities must wake up to the new reality and the new challenge, whether that is driven by the fear of landfill fines or environmental issues. The fact is that not all of them have.

The hon. Lady is being patient with the House and giving way a lot. She mentioned Bexley, in which my hon. Friend the Member for Bexleyheath and Crayford (Mr. Evennett) and I obviously have a particular interest, and said that it is effective. The Mayor already has his municipal waste strategy, which gives him a lot of power to give directions to the borough. For those of us who are suspicious about giving the Mayor more powers, will she tell the House whether there are any examples of boroughs that are not complying with the Mayor’s strategy and where there have been fall-outs about how it should be implemented? Some of us think that he already has more than adequate power to achieve what he wants with the strategy.

There have been disagreements between some boroughs and the Mayor on aspects of waste disposal, including the example of Belvedere. In a sense, we are getting to the meat of the comments that I wish to make, and I would like to avoid duplication. When one relies on a more voluntary approach to these things there is always a risk of disagreements and of a lack of enforcement capability.

The simple fact is that our performance is not good enough. This is not fundamentally an issue of political ideology. It should not divide the political parties or cause divisions within them, because we are all committed to a particular end game. The difference is that I do not believe that the proposals in the Bill represent a set of procedures that can rise to the challenge.

I am grateful to the hon. Lady for giving way, because I know that she has taken many interventions. The crux of the argument relates to her hypothesis about why the current arrangements are failing. If she believes that the cause is organisational mismanagement, the possible solution might be to bring organisation under one umbrella. If it is a question of either a lack of creativity in how to recycle and dispose or a lack of management, culture or implementation—an operational problem—it will not necessarily be solved by the solution that she proposes. Will she tell us whether she feels that those other potential issues will be addressed by her proposals?

If the hon. Lady will forgive me, I should point out that that goes to the heart of the comments that I wish to make. A number of reasons are involved in our failing to rise to the challenge, some of which are organisational. I hope to make some progress in the next few minutes and thus explain my central arguments.

We all agree on the end game. I am sure that everyone in this House wants a waste management system that delivers high recycling and services to all of London’s residents and businesses, that minimises landfill and avoids landfill costs and penalties, that maximises carbon reduction through the exploitation of new heat and power technology, that reduces the additional traffic on the roads caused by waste lorries moving between parts of the capital and outside it, and that does so in a way that provides value for money to taxpayers.

As I said in Committee, I remain of the view that the Government’s proposed package and the present waste disposal arrangements remain confused and incoherent, with no single body able to co-ordinate disposal and recycling operations at the city-wide level. Although the proposals are to some degree progressive, they do nothing to alter the fundamental weakness at the heart of a system that has let London down for more than two decades and has secured for it the dubious honour of being at the bottom of nearly every national and international league table on recycling and waste performance.

A single waste disposal authority for the capital could drive progress, with proper co-ordination and leadership, reducing landfill and incineration, and maximising recycling and the recovery of renewable energy from our waste. The authority would be in a position to offer clear purpose and pace, commensurate with the challenges of waste management and combating climate change.

The issue of waste hierarchy is central to the argument. Our challenge is to minimise waste production, then to recycle and compost whatever we can and then to recover heat and power from the waste that remains. Then and only then should we incinerate with no recovery of energy or send to landfill the irreducible core. This is therefore a debate not about whether we support incineration, but about whether we want the universally supported concept of the waste hierarchy to be a reality or a pipe dream, and whether we want to aim high or low. Those of us who support the concept of a single waste authority are alarmed by the increasing reliance on incineration in London—incineration that does not capture heat—at the expense of investment in recycling. There are three key arguments among the many that I would like briefly to discuss.

First, I shall address the coherence of the existing arrangements. The Government point out that the creation of a single waste disposal authority would involve the separation of collection and disposal. They argue that that would undermine both the effectiveness of the system and its accountability to residents. I find that argument rather confusing for several reasons. First, 21 of London’s waste authorities are already part of a two-tier system and the Government’s proposals would not change that. Secondly, the majority of authorities in England operate under a two-tier model, and the Government have not signalled their intention to alter that fact. Thirdly, the recycling performance of two-tier areas is better than that of unitary areas. Two-tier authorities achieved a recycling rate of 31 per cent. in 2005-06, while unitary areas achieved a rate of just 23 per cent. Fourthly, control does not imply ownership. Just as Tesco does not need to own all its suppliers to have a mutually beneficial commercial relationship with them, it is not necessary for the proposed single waste authority to own waste collection to influence it and integrate with it.

As the hon. Lady seems to think that there is an unimpeachable argument in favour of a single waste authority, why not have a single authority to deal with street cleaning and the enormous amount of refuse in London? I do not understand her argument for drawing such a distinction. Surely there is a risk that one authority would lead to the other, after time.

Among other factors, the central argument is probably the fact that street cleaning and rubbish collection generally work well at the devolved level. However, recycling and waste disposal are not working well in most London authorities, which is not helping us to avoid the risk of landfill fines, to deliver on carbon emissions and to achieve what we need to achieve. There are many responses to the hon. Gentleman’s question, but that is probably the simplest.

City of Westminster has a recycling rate of only 18 per cent. Clearly recycling is not working well there, however good the authority might be at sweeping the streets.

My hon. Friend is absolutely right, although Westminster meets its targets. To be absolutely fair to my authority and inner London as a whole, recycling in inner London is extremely difficult, which is precisely why we need to consider how we can use a London-wide provision, ensure that there is planning capacity to build recycling facilities and achieve a co-ordinated approach through which we can raise our game both in Westminster and across the board.

I thank the hon. Lady for her relatively supportive comments, at least on this occasion, about City of Westminster. May I come back on the point made by the hon. Member for Milton Keynes, South-West (Dr. Starkey)? It is clearly very difficult to recycle in a place such as Westminster, which has improved its record almost beyond recognition in recent years, although I accept that it has a long way to go. Of course, the terrorist threat makes a difference to the amount of refuse collection and recycling that can go on. The same is true in the other part of my constituency: the City of London. Although its headline recycling rates are poor, none of us should ignore the great terrorist risks during our consideration of the matter.

I accept much of what the hon. Gentleman says. However, this is not about playing party political games over whether authorities of certain political complexions are good or bad. We need to examine London’s performance as a whole, which is poor. The situation needs to change, and that is the case in inner London, with its challenging circumstances, and in several outer-London authorities, too.

One needs only to look at the diagrammatic representation of London’s waste management structure to get a sense of its disservice to accountability. I am a great believer that the most basic starting point for proper accountability is clarity, and a single waste disposal authority creates a clear line of accountability for waste processing and disposal. The Mayor would be directly accountable to Londoners and to Government for the processing and disposal of their waste, and boroughs would be accountable to the Mayor and residents for ensuring that recycling and collection services are integrated with strategic disposal needs. That can be contrasted with current arrangements, whereby the joint waste disposal authorities, which collectively manage 60 to 70 per cent. of London’s waste and spend vast sums of money, are not directly accountable to the people whom they purport to serve. They are little better than quangos and just as elusive in accountability terms.

I would hazard a guess that most Londoners have heard of the Mayor, whether favourably or unfavourably, and have a pretty good idea of what he is responsible for and what they can do if they do not like it. I doubt very much, however, whether Londoners could tell us much about the Western Riverside waste authority or the East London waste authority—including the increasing number of Londoners who are very concerned about the climate change agenda, carbon and the contribution of all those services to that agenda.

I can tell the House a little about the Western Riverside waste authority—it is a bit of a joke. When it finally attempted a legal challenge to the London borough of Wandsworth’s avoidance of obligations on paying for commercial waste collection, it got into difficulties because officers of the authority were also officers of Wandsworth council. That is a good example of how such parochial arrangements simply do not work.

I agree with my hon. Friend.

The argument is fundamentally not about bureaucratic neatness, but about what is best placed to deliver on the considerable challenges of truly sustainable waste management in our capital city. The Government say that local authorities in London are on track to reduce their landfill use, and are not therefore at risk of incurring the fines that would apply if they do not meet their objectives. That is prayed in aid in arguing the need for the significant, radical change of a single waste authority. I do not accept such arguments.

London has two large-scale waste incineration plants, which manage 20 per cent. of London’s waste between them. That is significantly more than any other region, which has led to false confidence in London’s ability to meet landfill targets, particularly after 2010. The real tipping point with landfill targets will come between 2010 and 2013, but many London authorities have neither plans nor procurements to ensure that an infrastructure will be in place to cope with that. The GLA estimates that four fifths of London authorities are at high or medium risk of not meeting their landfill obligations, and even the construction of the Belvedere incineration plant will not alter that.

Currently, about two thirds of London’s waste is buried in landfill sites, and most is taken to sites in the surrounding counties. The Mayor has set a target that London should be 80 per cent. self-sufficient in managing its municipal waste by 2020, and by that date London will need four times its existing recycling capacity and three times its existing waste treatment capacity. While the Government are concerned in the short term about changing governance arrangements and the risk of failing to deliver on early landfill directive targets, the real challenge is in the medium to long term, when estimated fines for landfill could rise to £35 million in 2010, £139 million in 2013 and £232 million by 2020.

Both the amount of landfill and the risk of incurring fines could be reduced in several ways. First and foremost among those is investment in recycling and new technologies. At present, London incinerates 20 per cent. of its waste, and that is set to rise to 38 per cent.—a substantial and unacceptable proportion of the UK total. Incineration can drive out the scope both for new technologies such as gasification and pyrolysis and for recycling. Those new technologies are at the cutting edge of alternatives to landfill and incineration, and have a number of beneficial side products, which among other things permit the creation of heat and energy and provide scope to produce hydrogen—one of the key fuels of the future. Clearly, on the basis of current developments, the scope for investing in new technologies and plants to boost recycling is at risk of being driven out by the emphasis on incineration.

Recycling as it stands is unsatisfactory and London’s performance is poor. Some London boroughs are performing well, as we have discussed, and others are not. Overall however, London is the poorest performing region for recycling of household and municipal waste, with just 21 per cent. of household waste recycled, as against the English average of 27 per cent. Just one London borough is in the upper quartile of local authorities on their recycling performance and 18 London authorities are in the lower quartile.

I hope that I may be allowed to make some comments later about the strategic point, but what would the hon. Lady say to local authorities such as mine, which not only have a much improved record, but have well advanced plans—blessed by the Government before the Bill came before the House, and with millions of pounds committed—to do exactly all the good things that she has described, want to do them, can deliver, and can set the way for other authorities to do the same?

I say good. Well-performing authorities have nothing to fear and everything to gain from being located in a broader strategic context. I throw this question back at the hon. Gentleman. What would he say to Londoners in or concerned about the 18 London authorities that are performing below the average, yet which have no obvious incentive to improve their performance under the current arrangements or the Government’s proposals? We all have a stake in London’s improvement, whether we are concerned about it from a value-for-money or an environmental perspective.