Health and Social Care Act 2012: Risk Register

Baroness Armstrong of Hill Top Excerpts

Wednesday 4th December 2013 Lords Chamber

[Earl Howe]

My noble friend is quite right. We can all look forward to the publication of that thorough report.

[Baroness Armstrong of Hill Top (Lab)]

My Lords, if the reforms are going so well, why does the Secretary of State, who now presides over an Act that said that the health service would be at a long arm’s length from Ministers, now see the key people in the health service at least once a week? Why does he take it upon himself personally to interfere in ways that during the passage of the Bill the Minister here told us very clearly Ministers would no longer be doing?

[Earl Howe]

The noble Baroness would have cause to complain if, in accordance with the debates that we had in this House on accountability, my right honourable friend did not hold the NHS to account on some of the areas of its activities where there were concerns. That is exactly what he does, and he does it quite properly.