Clause 2 - Primary Care Trusts
NHS Reform and Health Care Professions Bill
7:15 pm
Mr Oliver Heald (North East Hertfordshire, Conservative)
That is reassuring, because I thought that that is what the hon. Gentleman said. I was slightly nonplussed when I was told that he had said something else. I wondered if I had misheard him.
It is foolish to describe someone such as David Hunt, professor of health, policy and management at Durham university, or Kieran Walsh of Birmingham university's health service management centre and a senior research fellow as if they were simply protagonists in a party-political battle. The hon. Member for Crawley (Laura Moffatt) knows that it is not sensible to describe an eminent professor or a research fellow in the field as if their views were like those of a party politician. They are not. Those people are saying that they, and others, are worried about what is being proposed. How can we ignore that?
On a more practical point, I want to ask the Minister about the powers contained in clause 2. The Secretary of State's role is enhanced by the duty to establish what are to be known as primary care trusts. Instead of simply deciding on a proposal put forward by a primary care group, he will have an enhanced role in the duty to impose PCTs in all areas of England. In addition, it seems that the Secretary of State will have all the powers in relation to strategic health authorities that he had in relation to health authorities. Given that it seems that PCTs will have the same role as that which health authorities used to have, how can the Minister describe clauses 1, 2 and 3 as decentralising?
Clause 2 enhances the power of the Secretary of State. Under the provisions of clause 1, he loses no powers and, if anything, gains a power in respect of the distribution of functions. Where is the decentralisation? If the Minister means that establishing PCTs is a decentralising move in itself—although the Secretary of State will continue to pull all the strings, has been given enhanced powers and will be able to act as he wishes and use the strategic health authorities to impose discipline on the PCTs in respect of targets and performance indicators—that is a funny sort of decentralisation. Perhaps he will explain how clause 2 supports his case on decentralisation. The proposals are ill thought out and rushed. Of course, the Minister could explain in detail how the powers will be used. He has chosen not to and he tells us that the documents are not ready, so it is difficult to agree to clause 2.
Debate adjourned.—[Mr. Fitzpatrick.]
Adjourned accordingly at twenty-eight minutes past Seven o'clock till Thursday 29 November at half-past Nine o'clock.