Clause 36 - The Commission for Healthcare Audit and Inspection
Health and Social Care
10:15 am
Mr Simon Burns (West Chelmsford, Conservative)
I am extremely grateful to the hon. Gentleman. What he says is true, but I reassure you, Mr. Griffiths, that I shall not go down that path, because I know that it would be out of order. What is in order is the fact that amendments Nos. 221 and 222 are designed to help the Government to learn from their bad experience on community health councils and ensure that a mistake is not repeated in the Bill in regard to what all members of the Committee will agree are two important inspectorates to monitor health and social care.
It has taken the Government many months to admit, in this efficient way, their mistakes, though even then there is a 30-day gap. Of course, there is Christmas, and I do not suppose that people will be
monitoring the performance of the health service on behalf of patients on Christmas day or Boxing day, but there is still a 30-day gap between the two dates. However, that is an improvement on the three months that we were facing.
I want to congratulate the Under-Secretary on one point. With regard to our earlier warnings and debates about CHCs, he has finally listened and sought to rectify a botched job. I am now asking that he does not give us the speech about how the two amendments are unnecessary, there will be a seamless service and the new inspectorate will carry out its functions immediately after the abolition of the Commission for Health Improvement and the National Care Standards Commission. Instead, he should be more cautious and take advice rather than simply relying on the instincts of new Labour.
The Government should either provide in the Bill or give a categorical assurance that the two bodies mentioned in clause 39 will not be abolished until the two bodies mentioned in clauses 36 and 37 are fully established, staffed and prepared to carry out their duties on behalf of those working in and the patients served by the NHS. There must be no avenue for a repetition of the mistakes that we have had with CHCs so that a Minister discussing a future health Bill does not have to slip out the fact, at 9.30 in the morning, unbeknown to the vast majority of the Committee members, that he has had to do a U-turn and that the Government were wrong. To save him from himself, I urge the Under-Secretary to accept the amendments.