Clause 25 - Regulatory bodies and the Council
NHS Reform and Health Care Professions Bill
5:45 pm
Mr John Hutton (Minister of State, Department of Health; Barrow and Furness, Labour)
No; I cannot give the hon. Gentleman an example, but there may be one. I do not have it at my fingertips, but I shall try to establish whether there is one. The word ''desirable'' may not have been used in such scenarios, but the language does not subtract from my argument and the way in which we envisage the clause working. It will be a serious step for the UK council to take and it can do so only if it is satisfied that it needs to take that action to protect the public interest. That is a high threshold, which does not constitute a generalised power to let rip across the rules of all the regulatory bodies. If I thought for a second that that was what the clause meant, I would amend it, but having taken advice I am perfectly satisfied that it is not so. I will be happy to entertain wider discussions with the hon. Member for Oxford, West and Abingdon, perhaps on Report.
I suspect that if I keep going I shall start to repeat the arguments that we have rehearsed extensively over the past 45 minutes, and I do not want to detain the Committee with repetition. There is also the danger of hesitation, which I certainly want to avoid. We have been around the houses pretty comprehensively. I have tried to explain to the Committee the nature, origin and purpose of the clause, and I hope that my amendments, which make it clear that we expect a process of consultation with the regulatory body to precede any directions under clause 25(2), have reassured Opposition Members about the way in which we intend these powers to be exercised.