I thank the Minister for what was certainly intended to be a helpful response.

There is no question—certainly not from the Liberal Democrats, nor from the Conservatives, I think—that there is a recognition of the utility of this disposal; it is transparently a good thing. However, the questions about resourcing will continue to worry us.

What the Minister said still prompts some really important questions in my mind about the level of funding. He gave the examples of the pilot scheme and suggested that, if we were to see a roll-out on the same terms, there would be about four of these placements per county area, or per principal authority area, because that is the level at the moment. Minister said that providing those placements would cost about £500,000 per county area—that was the figure for grant that he gave. He said that it would be provided primarily by the local authority.

Frankly, that is why I could not understand the rather sanguine attitude of Councillor Lawrence when he was giving evidence. In any other circumstances, if local authorities are asked whether they will shoulder a further burden of £500,000 a year out of resources that are not there, they immediately start banging on the door of the Treasury and the Department for Communities and Local Government to say that they cannot meet such requirements from existing budgets. Yet Councillor Lawrence said that it would not be a problem to provide, on the Minister’s figures, an extra £500,000 a year for individuals for whom local authorities do not have a duty under welfare legislation. It is an additional responsibility. The Youth Justice Board said that the measure was a cheaper  disposal than a custodial sentence. That is correct, but the custodial sentence is paid for through the criminal justice system from the budget of the Ministry of Justice, not from local government social services. That is what worries me.

I shall accept the Minister’s assurances and accept that he is working on the details, but we shall need greater clarity on this matter before we reach the Bill’s later stages. We must be clear about how the measure will be funded. If it is not funded properly, it will not work.