Health Care and Associated Professions (Miscellaneous Amendments) Order 2008

My Lords, I thank the Minister for introducing this order, which for us on these Benches is not a matter of controversy, as its content has been the subject of extensive consultation and debate outside this Chamber as well as within it. As the Minister has helpfully explained, the order covers four or five main subject areas, as well as a number of subsidiary ones, which I will not repeat. I welcome in particular the changes to the powers of the GMC in relation to medical education. This is not something that we have debated previously. Up to now, the Medical Act has contained a list of bodies entitled to hold qualifying examinations. Any changes to that list have needed an amendment to the Act, which is extremely cumbersome, as well as approval by the Privy Council. The order removes the list from the Act and gives responsibility to the GMC to maintain and publish the list of recognised institutions. I welcome that change. We should, of course, note that it will not in any way affect the standards that medical schools are required to meet or indeed the standing of the education committee of the GMC. I do not personally believe that anything has been lost by removing the Privy Council from the approvals process. The whole thrust of this and related legislation is to make medical regulation more independent but at the same time more accountable. This change runs with the grain of that approach. Perhaps I could conclude briefly with some questions. The order provides for the GMC to keep an emergency powers doctors list, which will allow for suitably experienced people to help as doctors during an emergency. It would be helpful to hear from the Minister what ““suitably qualified”” means here and whether it has been defined in any detail. I understand that this provision is part of a package of measures that would enable the Government to respond flexibly in an emergency, but I wonder whether the Minister could say something about the safeguards governing the use of such powers. The order also proposes the reconstitution of the GMC, the General Osteopathic Council, the General Optical Council and the General Chiropractic Council as fully appointed bodies, with all councils having parity of membership between lay and professional members. Can the Minister say how the Appointments Commission will be advised about the professionals who are to be appointed? How exactly will that nomination process work and to what extent will the GMC be able to set the criteria on which potential appointees are chosen? Finally, when will the order be reviewed to establish whether it is having the desired effects? It is quite important that such a review should take place after a suitable interval, although I do not doubt that any problems with the order’s implementation will come to the surface naturally. However, we need to assess in a formal way the costs and benefits of implementing it. Some of the provisions are likely to show a welcome saving in terms of costs, but others may result in the opposite, and we need to take stock of those.