Schedule 1
Health Bill [Lords]
11:15 am
Stephen O'Brien (Shadow Minister, Health; Eddisbury, Conservative)
I beg to move amendment 140, in schedule 1, page 38, line 32, at end insert—
‘(za) regulations under section 12B’.
Amendment 140 would bring all regulations in new section 12B under the affirmative resolution process. These are the regulations we discussed at length concerning the nature of the direct payment pilots. Unless this amendment is made, neither this House nor the upper House will have the chance to debate the substance of the pilots. It is unlikely that we would want to vote down the regulations supporting the pilots by praying against them. It is likely that we would want to see them amended, depending on how the Government act in the debates we are about to have.
On Tuesday the Minister suggested I was presumptuous in moving an amendment directly referring to the NHS board, something the country is crying out for. Here I offer him the chance to make the life of Health Ministers in the next administration, whoever they may be, more difficult in the interests of Parliamentary scrutiny. I will not repeat the debate we had about new section 12B, but I think there are significant concerns about these issues and we should consider asserting an affirmative power regarding them.