Speeches by Johnson.

“Clause 13 ordered to stand part of the Bill.”

“Clause 12 ordered to stand part of the Bill.”

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“Clause 13 introduces the power to confer discretion, which essentially means that if the ICBs are commissioning a service, they can give the provider of that service, which may be NHS or private, the discretion to vary that provision within certain guidelines. To me, that flexibility is a good thing—providers are close…”

“In summary, clause 12 leaves us an element of uncertainty. Commissioning could move, but it might not; we do not know. Given the chaotic nature of the rest of the changes in much of the Bill, accepting amendment 57 would be an important step to keep patients safe.”

“Those comments could be pertinent today, could they not? All we are saying with amendment 57 is, “If you are going to change NHS commissioning from national to local, it could have an effect on patient care, and you need to do it carefully and properly, with a plan that is properly published, and deliver it with timesc…”

““This is a difficult day, but what makes it harder to stomach for people watching is the manner in which things are happening. People outside will struggle to understand how Members of this House could make such momentous decisions without having carefully considered all the facts and all the evidence…How do they begin…”

“As Members think about their vote, I encourage them to think about what the right hon. Member for Makerfield said the last time a Government undertook a reorganisation of such large scale:”

“Amendment 57 essentially seeks to make sure that, if the Government want to do this—there may be good reason on occasion—they have to be reasonable and take advice from experts and consult those who would be affected, and they must have a plan. This Government are fond of saying that they have a plan but not actually h…”

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“Others will have a lot to say, so I shall take no more time, other than to commend amendments 45 and 46 to the Committee. They would ensure that we have good representation on the ICB, particularly of social care, and that we get a co-ordinated, joined-up and well delivered commissioning process.”

“In essence, our amendments 45 and 46 would reinstitute representation on the ICB, so that the people can work together and understand each other’s roles more effectively. We could then get an integrated and joined-up system, rather than a system where the social care people talk to the local authority, which talks to a…”

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“I beg to move amendment 57, in clause 12, page 10, line 10, at end insert— “(4A) Before making regulations under subsection (1)(b) that would alter the range of services or facilities which the Secretary of State is required to commission nationally, the Secretary of State must— (a) prepare and publish a commissioning …”

“In essence, the clause confers the commissioning duties of NHS England on to the Secretary of State, because NHS England is being abolished. In that respect, it is quite straightforward. In the existing National Health Service Act 2006, which is to be amended, section 3 sets out the duties of integrated care boards as …”

“I am afraid I do not know the answer to that question. The key point is that it is not logical to abolish a three-tier structure and recreate it with taxpayers’ money to do exactly the same thing. If NHS England is replaced by the Secretary of State, the regional NHS England is replaced by the OPICs and the ICBs are at…”

“But we were not planning to abolish NHS England, so we had no reason to worry about redundancy. We were not planning a large-scale abolition—the largest that has ever happened in this country. Amendment 57 would require the Secretary of State to publish and consult on commissioning transition plans before making regula…”

“I agree with much of what the hon. Lady has said. Does she therefore support amendment 57, which would ensure that such a consultation takes place?”