Part of Health and Social Care (Community Health and Standards) Bill – in a Public Bill Committee at 3:15 pm on 19 June 2003.
Simon Burns
Shadow Spokesperson (Health)
3:15,
19 June 2003
On behalf of my right hon. and hon. Friends, I thank you and Mr. Atkinson for the exemplary way in which you have chaired our proceedings, Mr. Griffiths. You made them flow with ease and humour, and in a way that achieved the purposes of the Committee. I also thank the staff of the House, particularly the Clerks. As you know, Mr. Griffiths, we do not have access to parliamentary draftsmen, so we are particularly grateful to the Clerks for their help, which has been beyond the call of duty, in assisting us to make our Opposition more relevant and effective.
I thank my right hon. and hon. Friends for all that they have done during this Committee to make it both informative and interesting.
I congratulate the Minister on the fluent way in which he led for the Government. I also congratulate him on being the great survivor of the Department of Health, despite our having started a mere five weeks ago. Then, we had three Ministers from the Department in the Committee; now, like ''Home Alone'', the Minister is here alone as the only representative of the Department of Health.
I also congratulate the Government Whip on his promotion during the course of our proceedings.
Perhaps surprisingly, there is one member of the Committee to whom every Member on both sides of the Committee—except perhaps two—owes thanks. I should like to pay particular tribute to the honesty and straightforwardness of the hon. Member for Cheadle (Mrs. Calton), who, unfortunately, is not present in the Committee. For many years, Government and Conservative Members have made the case that the Liberal Democrats will tell anyone anything in the hope of winning a vote. Thanks to this Committee and the honesty of the hon. Lady, we now have that on the record.
The Conservative party is reminding people throughout the country—as, no doubt, is the Labour party—of our second sitting, so many weeks and debates ago. It stands out like a beacon as a rare occasion of honesty and straightforwardness. When asked how an hon. Member can vote against the principle of foundation hospitals on the Floor of the House and then, within a week, tell the Committee that she supports her constituents' bid for foundation status in her Constituency, the hon. Lady told us:
''We can all modify our opinions according to local circumstances.''—[Official Report, Standing Committee E, 13 May 2003; c. 57.]
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