Health: Spending Cuts

Lord Ashley of Stoke Excerpts

Wednesday 30th June 2010 Lords Chamber

[Lord Campbell-Savours]

My Lords—

[Lord Ashley of Stoke]

I wonder if the Minister will also say that I am often right, like the previous speaker. He always says that the Government intend to improve the health service, but he says in the same breath that they intend to go ahead with cuts. How can this illogical stance be repeated time and again?

[Earl Howe]

My Lords, as I have just indicated, the Department of Health is very fortunate to be protected from cuts in its budget during this Parliament, but at the same time we have a duty to spend every pound wisely and to obtain value for money. The spending review is still ahead of us. The only cuts that I can predict are those to bureaucracy and administration, to enable us to direct more money into front-line healthcare.