Health Bill [HL]

I look back to 2006 to Report stage on an earlier Bill, and it is interesting to be reminded of what the noble Lord, Lord Warner, said in response to the amendment. With the greatest possible respect the noble Baroness has forgotten that the point behind this is to reduce NHS waiting lists. The new 48-hour directive from Europe will present terrible problems of prolonging the waiting lists for operations such as artificial hips, limbs or whatever. I knew that I would get absolutely nowhere and that the noble Earl, Lord Howe, would be sitting firmly without rising to his feet, as indeed would the noble Baroness, Lady Barker, but we ought not to lose sight of the amendment. I am particularly grateful to my noble friend Lord Walton of Detchant for saying that the idea behind this is to reduce the waiting lists in the NHS for hip replacements and so on. I am grateful to the noble Baroness for listening to what my noble friend and I had to say and beg leave to withdraw the amendment. Amendment 127 withdrawn.