Health Bill

I will back up what my noble friend has said. She and I have read the same impassioned article in Optometry Today magazine, published on 24 March. I will read a short bit so that the Minister can get a flavour of how high feelings on this issue are running in the profession:"““The complexity of the regime has led a very large number of optometrists to stop providing domiciliary services, and those contractors who do struggle with the system feel hemmed in and constricted by unnecessary regulation . . . It cannot be consistent with the principles of the NHS or of human rights legislation for regulations to deliberately restrict health provision for a vulnerable group. Why should an elderly person with an eye problem or with broken glasses wait a minimum of 48 hours while some pen-pusher in the PCT with little or no knowledge about optometry struggles to make a decision?”” ." Appearing in a publication such as that, the article has to be taken seriously. To end on a more positive note, I was very grateful for the Minister’s reassurances about domiciliary services in general. There was some doubt about them following the proceedings of the Bill in another place. She clarified the position very helpfully. I shall read carefully what she said, and I may wish to come back to this issue at a later date. I beg leave to withdraw the amendment. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn. [Amendments Nos. 93 and 94 not moved.] Clause 36 agreed to. Clause 37 [General ophthalmic services contracts]: