Schedule 6
Health and Social Care Bill
10:30 am
Stephen O'Brien (Shadow Minister, Health; Eddisbury, Conservative)
Welcome to another day of our deliberations; it continues to be a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Mr. Hood. I believe that we have copies of the Official Report of last Tuesday, when we debated the Ways and Means resolution on the Floor of the House, which relates to this group of amendments. Those hon. Members who are anxious to see the full detail of the arguments should apprise themselves of the record, which will save some time. The amendments seek to secure the operational independence of the office of the health professions adjudicator. As I speak, copies of the Official Report are arriving, and I refer hon. Members to column 796 of the Official Report, 15 January 2008, when we dealt with the Health and Social Care Bill Ways and Means resolution on the Floor of the House.
For the amendments to be complete and effective, the Committee should bear in mind that an amendment removing the Secretary of State’s responsibility for setting levels of remuneration and allowances for the chair and members of the OHPA is also required. With that caveat at the outset, amendment No. 213 would give the OHPA, rather than the Secretary of State, the power to determine whether, how and to what extent it pays or makes provision for the payment of pensions, allowances and gratuities to current or former chairs, or members of the OHPA.
Amendment No. 215 would allow the OHPA to determine the compensation that it would need to award. If the Minister were to smile upon the principle of the amendments—I hope that he has a sunny disposition this morning—an amendment would be needed to line 8 to give the OHPA the power to determine when it is right for a person ceasing to hold office as the chair of the OHPA to receive such compensation.
Amendments Nos. 218 and 220 would remove the power of the Secretary of State to direct the form in which the OHPA keeps its accounts and prepares its annual accounts. I note that amendments Nos. 217 and 219 are grouped for debate immediately after this group. They have a bearing here, and if the Chairman would like me briefly to mention them now, I will do so.