Clause 47 - Disclosure of information
Health Bill
6:00 pm
Jane Kennedy (Minister of State (Quality and Patient Safety), Department of Health; Liverpool, Wavertree, Labour)
The hon. Gentleman needs to remember the context within which we expect these powers to be used, because use of the powers will be supervised by senior staff. He may wish to know that the Counter Fraud and Security Management Service already considers the full range of available sanctions as an investigation into a suspicion of fraud, a security incident or a breach commences and as it proceeds. Its objective in approaching the investigation would be to consider the full range of sanctions available to it in the event that the fraud is proven. Disciplinary proceedings clearly fit into that. The bodies referred to could include professional disciplinary proceedings, the General Medical Council, the General Dental Council and others.
Therefore, the hon. Gentleman is right to think that the full range would be considered. However, it is hard to imagine the counter fraud service using such powers in the event of a relatively small case such as the theft of a paper clip. I realise that he used that to illustrate the range, but I seek to reassure him that the expertise and professional approach that the service adopts in bringing cases will inform the nature, scope and range of the documents that it seeks to access and the amount of information available. The information required to be disclosed will only be that which is absolutely relevant and necessary for the case of fraud to be proven.
Question put and agreed to
Clause 47 ordered to stand part of the Bill.