Member

Some local authorities are worried that the payment of fines will become part of contract negotiations and push prices up even further, with local authorities having to make provisions for the payment of fines on behalf of the providers they use. Looking at the proposed fine set out in Clause 17—on page 32 of the Bill—these may be of any amount, so there could be an unlimited fine for non-compliance with an improvement plan; the noble Baroness will correct me if I have misunderstood that. If that is right, I would argue that it does not feel proportionate and is actually potentially risky in a situation where there is no spare capacity and a significant pressure on places and prices. New Schedule 1A goes on to say that the details of the fines will be set out in regulations, but I would argue that the principles that they will follow should be in the Bill and should not be unlimited. If we contrast this with the harm done to children by some social media platforms and the clear limits on fines in those cases, I would argue that that this is inconsistent at best and disproportionate at worst.