Schedule 1 - Constitution of public benefit corporations
Health and Social Care (Community Health and Standards) Bill
4:45 pm
Ms Hazel Blears (Parliamentary Under-Secretary (public health), Department of Health; Salford, Labour)
The hon. Gentleman explained why. There is an important distinction between the approach taken by Government Members and the hon. Gentleman's approach. We are determined that local people, as residents, will have a direct say in what happens to the hospital that serves them and their families in their community, and that their views should not be mediated through another organisation. The hon. Gentleman talks about direct democracy and pure democracy. It is extremely important that the direct experiences of local people are fed into the way in which the NHS foundation trusts function, and that they take notice of what local people tell them.
There is a fundamental divide between us. That the hon. Gentleman cannot cope with the concept of there being parallel mandates is disappointing and shows a lack of imagination and an inability to recognise that increasingly in our communities—including, I am sure, his community—a range of organisations are elected. There are boards, and people have a say. The organisation may be a housing association or a credit union. In a range of organisations, there are different centres of power and different centres of
democracy. That does not mean less democracy; instead, more people will have a say.
If the hon. Gentleman thinks that it is possible to have only one direct line of democracy, that will lead him rapidly to the dead hand of central control—a command and control system that will not accept the possibility of there being different centres of democracy in our communities. What does he say about school governing bodies? What does he say about the new deal for communities partnerships? What does he say about single regeneration board partnerships? Those are all subject to electoral systems, and that means that more people can be involved.
The hon. Gentleman has put forward a simplistic analysis in a number of recent discussions. He says that we cannot have national standards and local control. He says that we cannot have a balance between the acute and the primary sectors, or between a single democracy and a more pluralistic democracy. Yet again, the amendments would have us say that only one model will work, and that we should not be experimenting or looking at new forms of democracy that would enable more people to come into the system and have a say.
The amendments are particularly reactionary. The hon. Gentleman should acknowledge that power is not exclusive, and that it can be exercised in a number of ways.