Clause 17 - Annual Reports
NHS Reform & Health Care Professions Bill
2:30 pm
Ms Hazel Blears (Parliamentary Under-Secretary (public health), Department of Health; Salford, Labour)
I understand the wish of the hon. Member for Wyre Forest (Dr. Taylor) to see the amendment enshrined in law. I am pleased that he acknowledged that the listening document was genuine. As he pointed out, paragraph 3.21 of our response to the document states that local MPs have a role to play in shaping their health services, as they have an important role in raising issues in Parliament. We shall ensure that they receive copies of patients forum reports from their constituency so that they are kept aware of important local issues. We must ensure that the information in those annual reports is widely available.
It is inappropriate to put a provision into primary legislation because it is a matter of good practice rather than statutory responsibility and requirement. It would set a strange precedent for legislation if we were to require copies of a document to be sent to individual Members of Parliament. We could, however, require copies of all reports in which Members of Parliament might have a legitimate interest to be sent to them individually.
As we said in the listening document, we shall ensure that Members of Parliament get copies of documents and that they are kept in the loop regarding events in their constituency. I certainly appreciate being kept informed by the patient groups, including the community health council, in my constituency. Members of Parliament should receive that information, but it is inappropriate for a requirement to be placed in the Bill in this way. The spirit of the suggestion made by the hon. Member for Wyre Forest is sensible and we will ensure that what he has suggested happens, but for those reasons we must resist his amendment.