Health and Social Care (Community Health and Standards) Bill
12:00 pm
Mr Simon Burns (West Chelmsford, Conservative)
On a point of order, Mr. Atkinson. Are you are aware, the Government rightly place on any Standing Committee Parliamentary Private Secretaries from the Department responsible for the business. They are, by tradition, non-speaking members of Committees on the subject for which they are Parliamentary Private Secretaries. You were not here this morning, but part of our problem has been that the Minister moved formally a group of highly important Government amendments. When the Committee expressed its surprise and concern, the Minister made a statement that I hope, on reflection, he would consider to have been unfair, in that he said that he had made a mistake in moving them formally and that he had received bad advice from his Parliamentary Private Secretary. The Parliamentary Private Secretary is unable to defend himself in Committee. It seems unfair for him to be put in that awkward position. Can the Minister, through the Chair, withdraw that—