Health Bill
10:35 am
Andrew Murrison (Shadow Minister, Health; Westbury, Conservative)
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Mr. Illsley. I was a member of the Programming Sub-Committee, and I should like to correct the Minister’s assertion that we were “pleased” with the programme. We were in so far as we do not have the knife; that is welcome given that most of the public controversy rests with the initial clauses of the Bill. However, it would be more accurate to say that we were content with the total time available. We must get to the important later clauses, particularly those relating to ophthalmic services and pharmacy. It would be regrettable if the emphasis on smoking, controversial though that is, were to detract from our consideration of those matters.