Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Bill

Perhaps I may speak briefly to Amendment No. 252A, which the noble Baroness did mention early on in her speech. It seeks simply to ensure that the LINks are up and running before the current fora and the commission are abolished. The changeover from the old system to the new could be compared with runners in a relay race. If it is done in a hurry, the baton may be dropped and the runners will lose touch with each other. I suggest that there should be a whole lap in which the two systems run together before the baton is handed over. It should be done when the skills and experience of the fora and the commission have been handed over properly so that the LINks are functioning well before we say goodbye to the old system.