Mr. Paul Hogan:

It just reflects the model on which the HNDA is based. It was originally something that we modelled on the way the Scottish did it. Again, it was a co-ordination mechanism at the outset but one clearly allowing for local application. Maybe the word "centralised" might come across, depending on how you want to interpret it, as heavy-handed but it is really just to allow for co-ordination and local interpretation and application.