Part of Health and Social Care Bill – in a Public Bill Committee at 3:15 pm on 17 January 2008.
Stephen O'Brien
Shadow Minister (Health)
3:15,
17 January 2008
I can see that the Minister has had precious little in the way of options if the discussions with Welsh Ministers are on that time track. This is the first of the Government amendments that we have reached during the course of the Committee’s considerations and is one of some 60 amendments. Clearly, anything to mitigate the burden of regulation would, in principle, have my support. It would be helpful, however, at this first outing, when there are implications for Welsh Ministers and the progress of discussions with Welsh Ministers, if he could tell us whether those discussions have concluded or are ongoing, so that we can have full knowledge of what to expect concerning that in Government amendments and new clauses. I am sure that he would accept that we have not had the dovetailing we might have hoped for.
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Printed in the margin next to each clause is a brief explanatory `side-note' giving details of what the effect of the clause will be.
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