Schedule 2 - Wales centre for health: further provision
Health (Wales) Bill
5:30 pm
Mr Bill Wiggin (Leominster, Conservative)
I beg to move amendment No. 18, in
schedule 2, page 8, leave out lines 27 to 32.
This is very much a probing amendment. At first glance, paragraphs 6 and 7 of the schedule seem reasonable. Paragraph 6 states:
''If it appears to the Assembly that there has been a serious failure by the Centre to perform any function which it considers should have been performed by the Centre, the Assembly may give the Centre such directions as it may consider appropriate for remedying that failure.''
That seems innocent enough. Paragraph 7 states:
''Directions under paragraph 6 must include a statement summarising the reasons for giving them.''
The Minister pointed out a few moments ago that the Wales Centre for Health was not to be regarded as a servant of the Assembly or, indeed, the Crown, yet almost everything about the centre is decided upon by the Assembly. Therefore, this is either a belt-and-braces provision, or unnecessary.
Paragraph 9 states:
''The Centre must comply with any direction given by the Assembly under this Schedule.''
If the Wales Centre for Health is responsible for any type of failure, it will automatically be in default, so paragraphs 6 and 7 are almost completely unnecessary, and the amendment would leave them out of the Bill. If the provisions stay, they will not be to the detriment of the centre, but part of our duty as a
Committee is to ensure that the Bill is as clear and positive as possible.