Business of the House

Steve Rotheram Excerpts

Thursday 17th February 2011 Commons Chamber

[Sir George Young]

The whole House would have been dismayed by the 10 incidents, to which the health ombudsman referred in her recent report, showing neglect of elderly people. It would be wrong to generalise, because high-quality care is provided in much of the NHS, but the instances of poor discharge policy, poor end-of-life policy and poor nutrition policy were deeply worrying. I hope that some of the reforms in the Health and Social Care Bill will improve the position, not least through the creation of local healthwatch organisations to give patients more power to ensure that there is feedback, that complaints are heard and that local services are held properly to account.

[Steve Rotheram (Liverpool, Walton) (Lab)]

Will the Leader of the House grant an urgent debate on Liverpool’s local government settlement from central Government, given the misleading statistics about funding levels used—inadvertently I am sure—by both the Prime Minister and the Minister for Housing in recent weeks?

[Sir George Young]

We have debated the local government settlement within the last fortnight, and that would have been the opportunity for the hon. Gentleman to raise the grievance to which he refers. I am afraid he will have to wait another year before that opportunity comes round again.