Amendments proposed to the Local Government Bill, As Amended - continued	House of Commons
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Mrs Gillian Shephard
Mr Richard Ottaway
Mr Simon Burns
Mr Nigel Waterson
Mr Bernard Jenkin
Mrs Caroline Spelman

53

Page     13,     line     3     [Clause     20],     leave out '2nd January 2000' and insert '1st April 2001'.

   

Sir Paul Beresford
Mrs Gillian Shephard
Mr Richard Ottaway
Mr Simon Burns
Mr Nigel Waterson
Mr Bernard Jenkin

96

Page     13,     line     7     [Clause     20],     at end insert—

'(c) notwithstanding this section, ensures that no service currently required to be subject to the provisions of (1) above ceases to be so prior to a best value review under Section 5 having been carried out and published and the consequential local performance plan audit completed without recommendations for any alternative approach being made.'.

   

Mr Secretary Prescott

19

Page     13,     line     12     [Clause     21],     at end insert—

    '( ) The Audit Commission may delegate any of its functions under this Part to—

(a) a committee or sub-committee established by the Commission (including a committee or sub-committee including persons who are not members of the Commission), or

(b) an officer or servant of the Commission.'.

   

Mr Secretary Prescott

20

Page     13,     line     29     [Clause     21],     at end insert—

    '( ) After section 75(1)(e) of the Housing Associations Act 1985 (Housing Corporation and, in relation to Wales, Secretary of State: general functions) there shall be added—

    "(f) to provide on request, to such extent as the Relevant Authority considers appropriate, advice and assistance to the Audit Commission for Local Authorities and the National Health Service in England and Wales in relation to the Commission's functions under Part I of the Local Government Act 1999 (best value)."

    ( ) The Audit Commission may make payments to the Housing Corporation or the Secretary of State in respect of advice and assistance provided under section 75(1)(f) of the Housing Associations Act 1985.'.

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Mr Secretary Prescott

21

Page     14,     line     38     [Clause     24],     after first 'to' insert 'or in respect of'.

   

Mr Secretary Prescott

22

Page     14,     line     38     [Clause     24],     after second 'to' insert 'or in respect of'.

   

Mr Secretary Prescott

23

Page     14,     line     40     [Clause     24],     after 'to' insert 'or in respect of'.

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Mr Secretary Prescott

24

Page     15,     line     4     [Clause     24],     at end insert—

    '( ) Before issuing guidance under section (Coordination of inspections, &c.) the Secretary of State shall, in addition to the consultation required by subsection (2)(c) above, consult the persons or bodies concerned.'.

   

Mr Secretary Prescott

10

Page     15,     line     5     [Clause     25],     leave out '18 and 21' and insert '19 and 21 to 24'.

   

Sir Paul Beresford
Mrs Gillian Shephard
Mr Richard Ottaway
Mr Simon Burns
Mr Nigel Waterson
Mr Bernard Jenkin

97

Page     15,     line     7     [Clause     25],     after 'passed', insert 'subject to all relevant Secretary of State guidance, all reports of best value pilot studies, and all factors and standards specified by the Secretary of State under Section 4(1) having been published for the preceding year.'.

   

Mr Secretary Prescott

11

Page     15,     line     16     [Clause     26],     after 'order', insert 'or regulations'.

   

Mr Secretary Prescott

25

Page     15,     line     20     [Clause     26],     leave out 'or 7' and insert ', 7 or (Coordination of inspections, &c.), and regulations under section 22,'.

   

Sir Paul Beresford
Mrs Gillian Shephard
Mr Richard Ottaway
Mr Simon Burns
Mr Nigel Waterson
Mr Bernard Jenkin

98

Page     15,     line     37     [Clause     28],     after 'regulation', insert 'and limitation (capping)'.

   

Mr Paul Burstow
Jackie Ballard
Mr Adrian Sanders
Mr Richard Livsey

1

Page     15,     line     38     [Clause     28],     at end add 'but shall cease to apply on 1st April 2005.'.

   

Mr Paul Burstow
Jackie Ballard
Mr Adrian Sanders
Mr Richard Livsey

2

Page     15,     line     38     [Clause     28],     at end add 'but shall cease to apply on 1st April 2000.'.

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Sir Paul Beresford
Mrs Gillian Shephard
Mr Richard Ottaway
Mr Simon Burns
Mr Nigel Waterson
Mr Bernard Jenkin

100

Page     16,     line     10     [Clause     29],     after 'fit' insert 'provided that:

(a) The criteria are the same for all authorities of the same class, and

(b) The criteria are based upon comparisons between factors applicable for the financial year beginning on 1st April 1998 and the corresponding factors applicable for the financial year concerned'.

   

Sir Paul Beresford
Mrs Gillian Shephard
Mr Richard Ottaway
Mr Simon Burns
Mr Nigel Waterson
Mr Bernard Jenkin

99

Page     16,     line     10     [Clause     29],     leave out from 'fit' to end of line 17.

   

Sir Paul Beresford
Mrs Gillian Shephard
Mr Richard Ottaway
Mr Simon Burns
Mr Nigel Waterson
Mr Bernard Jenkin

101

Page     16,     line     14     [Clause     29],     leave out 'authorities or'.

   

Sir Paul Beresford
Mrs Gillian Shephard
Mr Richard Ottaway
Mr Simon Burns
Mr Nigel Waterson
Mr Bernard Jenkin

102

Page     16,     line     15     [Clause     29],     after 'authority', insert 'and the Greater London Authority'.

   

Sir Paul Beresford
Mrs Gillian Shephard
Mr Richard Ottaway
Mr Simon Burns
Mr Nigel Waterson
Mr Bernard Jenkin

103

Page     16,     line     17     [Clause     29],     at end add 'provided that any criterion referring to an authority's budget requirement for the financial year beginning on 1st April 1998 shall be deemed to refer to the greater of the budget requirement and the amount of the authority's Standard Spending Assessment for that financial year.'.

   

Sir Paul Beresford
Mrs Gillian Shephard
Mr Richard Ottaway
Mr Simon Burns
Mr Nigel Waterson
Mr Bernard Jenkin

104

Page     16,     line     18     [Clause     29],     after 'regulations', insert 'made prior to 31st December of the year prior to the financial year in which the regulations will take effect'.

   

Sir Paul Beresford
Mrs Gillian Shephard
Mr Richard Ottaway
Mr Simon Burns
Mr Nigel Waterson
Mr Bernard Jenkin

105

Page     16,     line     37     [Clause     29],     leave out 'authorities or'.

   

Sir Paul Beresford
Mrs Gillian Shephard
Mr Richard Ottaway
Mr Simon Burns
Mr Nigel Waterson
Mr Bernard Jenkin

106

Page     16,     line     37     [Clause 29],     after 'authority', insert 'and the Greater London Authority.'.

   

Mrs Gillian Shephard
Mr Richard Ottaway
Mr Simon Burns
Mr Nigel Waterson
Mr Bernard Jenkin
Mrs Caroline Spelman

84

Page     16,     line     39     [Clause     29],     leave out subsection (7).

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Mrs Gillian Shephard
Mr Richard Ottaway
Mr Simon Burns
Mr Nigel Waterson
Mr Bernard Jenkin
Mrs Caroline Spelman

85

Page     17,     line     8     [Clause     29],     leave out subsection (11).

   

Mr Secretary Prescott

12

Page     17,     line     33     [Clause     31],     at end insert—

    '( ) The Secretary of State may make grants to the Audit Commission, out of money provided by Parliament, in respect of expenditure incurred or to be incurred by the Commission under this Act.

    ( ) The National Assembly for Wales may make grants to the Audit Commission in respect of expenditure incurred or to be incurred by the Commission under this Act.'.

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NEW SCHEDULE

   

Mr Clive Efford
Julia Drown
Mrs Eileen Gordon
Dr Ian Gibson
Mr John Cryer
Mr David Chaytor

Mr Alan Simpson	Dr Howard Stoate	John Austin
Ms Tessa Kingham	Mr Chris Mullin	Mr Ronnie Campbell

NS1

*To move the following Schedule:—

'Energy conservation and efficiency measures

    1. The Secretary of State may by order amend section 36(2) of the Housing Act 1996 (matters as respects which the Housing Corporation and Housing for Wales may issue guidance to registered social landlords in the management of their property) by inserting after paragraph (d) the following paragraph—

"(dd) standards of energy efficiency and the means of achieving those standards;".

    2. The Secretary of State may by order insert the following section after section 36 of the Housing Act 1996—

"Provision of information to energy conservation authorities

    "'36A.—(1) A registered social landlord shall comply with any request from an energy conservation authority for information relating to the energy efficiency of any premises situated within the area of that authority, being premises for the maintenance or repair of which the registered social landlord is to any extent responsible.

(2) A request under this section must—

    (a) be made in writing,

    (b) specify the information requested, and

    (c) specify a date within which the information requested must be provided, which shall not be less than 30 days.

(3) The registered social landlord shall comply with any request under this section within such time as may be specified in the request.

(4) The registered social landlord shall not be in breach of subsection (3) if the information requested is not in its possession at the time the request is made.

(5) A registered social landlord which is in breach of subsection (3) commits an offence and is liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding level 3 on the standard scale.

(6) In this section "energy conservation authority" has the same meaning as in the Home Energy Conservation Act 1995.'"

    3.—(1) The Secretary of State may by order make provision requiring energy efficiency reports—

    (a) to be prepared by or on behalf of qualifying lenders in respect of residential properties which are to be sold to purchasers who intend to borrow the whole or part of the purchase price from a qualifying lender, and

    (b) to be given to prospective purchasers before completion of the purchase.

    (2) Subject to the provisions of any order under this paragraph, an energy efficiency report relating to any property must contain information relating to the energy efficiency of that property (but need not contain information which cannot be readily ascertained from a visual inspection of the property), and must specify what measures (if any) could be taken to improve the energy efficiency of that property.

    (3) For the purposes of this paragraph—

"'residential property'" means property occupied or to be occupied as a house or other single dwelling, including a flat but excluding any common parts of a building which includes more than one dwelling, and—

    (i) where any residential property is purchased with any premises to be used for business purposes, an order under this paragraph shall not apply to those business premises:

    (ii) where part of any residential property is used for business purposes, an order under this paragraph shall apply to the whole property:

"'qualifying lender'" means a person who carries on a business which includes or consists in the lending of money.

    (4) A qualifying lender is not obliged to provide an energy efficiency report on any residential property to a prospective purchaser unless—

    (a) the purchaser is an individual,

    (b) he has applied at any time ("'the application date'") for a loan from that lender to be used in purchasing the property in question and his application has been accepted, and

    (c) he intends to occupy the property as his residence.

    (5) A qualifying lender is not obliged to provide an energy efficiency report on any residential property to a prospective purchaser if at the application date—

    (a) it is less than 3 years since the building of the property in question, was completed, or

    (b) that purchaser has received (from that lender or any other person) an energy efficiency report relating to that property which was made at any time within 12 months of the application date.".'.

Prepared 23 Mar 1999