EU: Healthcare

Baroness Wheeler Excerpts

Wednesday 11th January 2012 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Wheeler]

My Lords, I, too, congratulate the noble Lord on initiating this debate, and I also congratulate other noble Lords who have very comprehensively covered the wide range of important EU healthcare issues currently in the process of discussion, development or implementation in the UK. Considering these issues as a whole in the one debate, rather than tending to debate them separately as various reports or new proposals or directives come up, has been invaluable. It provides us with an overview of the key issues, how they impact on each other and how they can reach into every aspect of the NHS care and treatment of patients, research, and the working lives and training of healthcare professionals.

The cross-border health directive, which we are required to enact by October 2013, the draft directive on the mobility of health professionals, and the implications for our NHS of the EU’s proposals for revising the energy efficiency directive—with the prospect of huge expenditure and further upheaval for our NHS if, as a public body, it is to become a major driver in achieving EU energy efficiency targets—all present major challenges for the NHS, and one does wonder how well equipped it is to meet them in its current state of uncertainty and upheaval.

In view of the short time available, I want to focus on four questions to the Minister. First, on the clinical trials directive, I echo the concern of noble Lords who have pointed to the UK’s steadily diminishing global share of clinical trials. I look forward to hearing from the Minister how the Government are addressing this decline. How will the new NHS architecture impact on this, and when might we expect our share to start rising again?

Secondly, on EU procurement law, the question we need to address when we come to it in the next stage of the Health and Social Care Bill is the proper balance between planning and the social solidarity that is expressed by the NHS. We also need to consider the effect of EU procurement law on commissioning and the progressive effect of the EU procurement regime to the point where commissioning decisions and planning become victims of court cases. What is the Minister’s opinion of where the balance lies? Will he expedite the meeting that he promised with noble Lords, including my noble friend Lady Thornton, to discuss ways forward on this matter?

Thirdly, how is EU work progressing on tackling health inequalities across EU countries? What initiatives are being undertaken or supported by the Government and what are the timescales for report and development? Finally, I note that last year the UK NHS was owed more than £38 million from EU member states for healthcare treatment for their nationals, so it would be helpful if the Minister could update the House on the progress and systems that are in place to ensure that this money is collected.