Health and Social Care Bill

Baroness Northover Excerpts

Tuesday 25th October 2011 Lords Chamber

Amendment 2 withdrawn.

[Baroness Northover]

My Lords, given that there is no dinner hour business tonight, we have agreed that instead of breaking now, we will sit without a break until 9 pm and therefore have a slightly earlier night.

[Lord Bassam of Brighton]

Does that mean that we will finish at nine o’clock or when the debate on an amendment finishes? There is a practice whereby we can carry the debate over; we do not have to complete it by that time. Will the noble Baroness clarify that point?

--- Later in debate ---

[Baroness Northover]

My understanding is that we will stop at nine. If that means that we are part way through the next group of amendments, so be it.

Amendment 3

Moved by

--- Later in debate ---

[Baroness Cumberlege]

That is true up to a point, but can you imagine, when the Secretary of State receives that information, that he will do nothing about it? That would be extremely unlikely.

The other thing I would like to say is about the comments of the noble Lord, Lord Hennessy, on ambiguity and clarity. It seems quite strange to put a word into this Bill that is archaic and no longer used. It no longer serves a purpose, in that what is being done at the moment does not relate to the Secretary of State providing anything. If we are going to be really clear about legislation, surely we want to make sure that the words used are relevant to today. Including the word provide, which is no longer being used—the Secretary of State has powers to provide, but he does not actually provide services—seems a pretty irrelevant and an archaic way of producing legislation. I very strongly support the noble and learned Lord, Lord Mackay of Clashfern.

[Baroness Northover]

My Lords, as agreed earlier, it now being nine o’clock, I beg to move that the House be now resumed.

House resumed.