Lord Freyberg (CB)

My Lords, I am grateful to all noble Lords who have contributed to this short but very important debate. In particular, I thank the noble Earl, Lord Clancarty, whose expertise in and commitment to this area continue to illuminate our discussions and have brought us to this point of having a new area of competence. I thank the noble Lord, Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay; his point that not all local authorities are similar is worth repeating. I also thank the noble Baroness, Lady Prashar, who spoke with such clarity on the importance of place-making and culture as an area of competence. The noble Lord, Lord Bassam, made an excellent point about how culture can help growth, and the noble Lord, Lord Shipley, said that it already exists in existing local authorities and that we should not forget that. The noble Baroness, Lady Scott, raised an important point about the commissioners: their roles and what they are doing really needs to be ironed out so that we have clear oversight of what is happening. Lastly, I thank the Minister warmly for her reply, which I found genuinely helpful and which I know will be welcomed across the House and further afield. On the broader question of what we mean by culture, I continue to believe that clear and detailed guidance will be essential if the competence is to be exercised with clarity for local leaders and the cultural sector generally. As the noble Earl, Lord Clancarty, and others have so ably argued, both today and in Committee, there is a meaningful and practical distinction between the arts, cultural services, creative industries, heritage and tourism. Without greater definitional clarity, strategic authorities may struggle to know where their responsibilities begin and end. None the less, I hear what the Minister said on these and other points, and I welcome her commitment to ensuring that the framework is workable in practice. I therefore beg leave to withdraw my amendment.