NHS Redress Bill [Lords]

I, too, am pleased to welcome the Bill in its revised form. I want to support most of, if not all, the remarks made by the Conservative spokesman, the hon. Member for South Cambridgeshire (Mr. Lansley), because we worked jointly in the House of Lords on the Bill and it would be a great shame if the Government did not take note of the changes that were achieved there. Had the Bill arrived in the House of Commons first, however, the welcome would have been rather more muted. While no one can doubt the intention behind it, this is probably one of those classic cases in which the Prime Minister will wish in retrospect he had been more bold. As has been said, we face a Bill that deals with only one of the 19 recommendations made by Liam Donaldson, so a huge opportunity has been missed. The Bill also deals only with the secondary healthcare sector. Again, we have an ideal opportunity for some joined-up thinking throughout the health service. As it stands, the Bill is welcome, but we seem to be tinkering at the edges.