Caroline Flint (Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Health), Department of Health; Don Valley, Labour)

To clarify the situation for the hon. Gentleman, the Privy Council has powers to direct the NHS Appointments Commission to exercise all or part of its functions relating to specified appointments to the health profession's regulatory bodies. In directions of 10 February 2005, the Privy Council directed the NHS Appointments Commission to exercise all its appointment functions relating to the General Chiropractic Council, the General Osteopathic Council, the Health Professions Council, and the Nursing and Midwifery Council. The directions also specified particular appointment functions for the General Medical Council, the General Dental Council, the General Optical Council and the Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain. The clause gives the Privy Council the same powers to direct the new appointments commission to exercise all or part of the powers that it previously directed the NHS Appointments Commission to provide for. I am not aware of any concerns from any of the bodies that I have mentioned about that function being carried out.   If I am wrong about that, I will ask my officials to check and will get back to the hon. Gentleman.

Question put and agreed to.

Clause 57 ordered to stand part of the Bill.

Schedule 6 agreed to.

Clauses 58 and 59 ordered to stand part of the Bill.

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