Member

The amendments to Schedule 25 seek to amend the process by which the Government will test new functions with strategic authorities as part of a pilot scheme. Amendments 172 and 179 would both impact the Secretary of State’s ability to extend pilot schemes. The Bill allows the Secretary of State to make regulations for a pilot scheme to last up to three years, using the affirmative procedure, and then to extend the pilot scheme for up to two years using the negative procedure, if the Secretary of State believes that the strategic authority needs longer to pilot a function before an assessment can be made to determine whether it has been a success. The Bill also allows the Secretary of State to extend the pilot scheme more than once.