Public Health (Control of Disease) Act 1984 (Amendment) Bill

Preet Kaur Gill Excerpts

2nd reading
Friday 26th April 2024 Commons Chamber

[Preet Kaur Gill (Birmingham, Edgbaston) (Lab/Co-op)]

The hon. Member for Christchurch (Sir Christopher Chope) was a consistent campaigner against lockdowns during the pandemic and has continued to be since. The UK was badly unprepared. NHS waiting lists were at record levels even before the pandemic hit. We had staff shortages of 100,000 in our health service and 112,000 vacancies in social care. The Government’s handling of public health measures was chaotic as we jumped in and out of lockdowns, and the best scientific advice was frequently ignored.

The primary duty of any Government is to keep the public safe and to make sure we are prepared for national emergencies like the one we faced in 2020, but there are a few problems with the approach highlighted today. The Bill would require regulatory impact assessments to be conducted before any regulations could come into effect in England. Any regulations would have to be laid for at least 20 days before they could pass into statute. We know that in pandemics sometimes Governments have to move quickly, and the requirement to wait at least 20 days before regulations came into effect seems a potentially dangerous move. To my mind, the question that the hon. Member raises is more one of whether the Government are up to the task of dealing with another public health emergency in a way that ensures that democratic accountability and public confidence are maintained. If decisions are taken transparently and if everyone is seen to be following the rules, we stand a much better chance of maintaining public confidence and making better decisions.

I do not agree that this Bill, which risks tying the Government’s hands behind their back during a national emergency, is the way to do it. I would like to see what the covid-19 inquiry says about how that was handled and how we as a Parliament should deal with these issues in future.