Primary Care Trusts

I am grateful to the hon. Gentleman, who is always helpful in putting me straight. The external panel’s response has been mentioned. We said in our report:"““It is essential that the external panel’s responses are made public also.””" The Minister at the time did not say that he would publish the response. He said that he would publish the information given to the panel, which is remarkably different and not what we want at all. We need to see that response. We want to know what the external panel felt about the PCTs that were affected politically or non-politically. I move to the issue of distraction. We were bothered by evidence that told us quite clearly that such a major reorganisation put the local work force back by two years and required another 18 months for them to catch up. Witnesses at this morning’s Health Committee bore that out. It takes an awful lot of time for people to catch up. We must add to that the fact that under this particular reorganisation, people who will no longer have their jobs are planning for what happens afterwards. As I have said before, I do not think that that is like turkeys planning for Christmas. It is not the best plan. That has been borne out graphically. Professor John Ashton in the north-west was a well-known, outspoken director of public health for many years. I remember him saying a long time ago that when public health doctors became directors of strategic health authorities and primary care trusts, they would immediately lose their independence and ability to represent patients. Having been in his job for 13 years, he resigned in frustration at the prospect of a fifth Government-inspired departmental reorganisation. He said:"““I have just finished building up a team from the last reorganisation. This is what they do—constantly reorganise. You have to ask questions if they don’t get it right this time.””"