Oral Answers to Questions

Luciana Berger Excerpts

Tuesday 25th January 2011 Commons Chamber

[Paul Burstow]

The hon. Gentleman makes some important points about how the new system provides the opportunity to access a range of new resources to develop the way in which commissioning is provided for people with neurological conditions. Not the least of these are the way in which the Neurological Alliance is working to provide a new structure for its way of operating at the local level to offer commissioning support and, from the Department, how the neurological commissioning support group will be able to work with early implementers of the health and well-being boards and pathfinder GP consortia to provide them with the necessary support to develop their capability in this area.

[Luciana Berger (Liverpool, Wavertree) (Lab/Co-op)]

The Minister of State referred earlier to Labour Members cherry-picking quotes, but I do not believe that Laurence Buckman, chair of the British Medical Association’s GP committee, was mincing his words when today he described the Government’s reorganisation plans as “fatally flawed”, warning that they

“would see the poor, elderly, infirm and terminally ill in large parts of the country losing out”.

Why does the Secretary of State believe that he knows better than Dr Buckman?

[Mr Lansley]

I do not recall the BMA ever agreeing with the previous Government. Let me provide one quote to the hon. Lady:

“The general aims of reform are sound—greater role for clinicians in commissioning care, more involvement of patients, less bureaucracy and greater priority on improving health outcomes—and are common ground between patients, health professions and political parties.”

The shadow Secretary of State said that last week.