Speeches by Johnson.

“It was created before I became an MP, but I recognise that the shift brought substantial challenges, as had been the case with every previous reorganisation. Reorganisation is not all about the structure, but there are pros and cons to each type of structure; we move from one to the other as we try to move away from th…”

““was originally created as an arm’s length body to give the NHS greater freedom, increase transparency and reduce political micromanagement.””

“The Government’s own impact assessment for the Bill acknowledges that NHS England”

“We must recognise that the reforms that created NHS England, which was originally called the NHS Commissioning Board, were part of a move under successive Governments towards more operational autonomy, and in 2012 the Government legislated to take operational autonomy to its logical conclusion. Ministers would set obje…”

“The 2010 White Paper “Liberating the NHS” set out the following objectives: eliminating red tape; freeing staff from top-down control; devolving responsibility; expanding choice, and strengthening the patient voice. If those objectives sound familiar, it is because they are the same objectives being pursued by the Gove…”

“That brings us to the creation of NHS England. At this point, the Government were very keen on “agentification”. Politicians thought that separating steering from rowing would unlock new efficiencies, and that that could be achieved by creating quasi-autonomous bodies insulated from day-to-day politics. I note that whe…”

“and recognised the importance of choice. Although health spending as a percentage of GDP grew from 4.9% in 2000 to 7.5% in 2010, health outcomes and patient safety still left much to be desired.”

““high quality care cannot be mandated from the centre””

“Despite the outcomes that these reforms brought, there was a recognition that the system was not working, and in 2007 the Department of Health published its “Next Stage Review”. It said—this is under a Labour Government—that”

“In 2004, we had the first wave of foundation trusts, which were granted substantial independence over how to meet their obligations. A key feature of a foundation trust was that their communities would theoretically be able to vote in elections for governors, in order to ensure accountability. Although those changes we…”

“It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Sir Jeremy. First, I declare a number of interests. I am a consultant paediatrician working in the NHS, a member of the British Medical Association and a member of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health. Like the Minister for Secondary Care, I got into polit…”

“Thank you, Sir Jeremy. I will be grateful if the Minister clarifies at the end, because she seems to be suggesting that Lord Darzi’s report was wrong in some way. He was assessing the NHS at the same time that she was, with the experience of having been a Minister, and made the counter-suggestion. It is not just about …”

“My hon. Friend talked about how the ICBs have merged. There are lots of different types of reorganisation going on at once: the abolition of NHS England, the changes to local authorities, the introduction of mayors in some areas, and the changes and cuts to ICBs. What effect is that having in his part of the country?”

“I thank the Minister for Secondary Care. Her colleague, the former Health Secretary, the right hon. Member for Ilford North, has cut and run, but she has committed to seeing this legislation through. I know that it is important to her personally. I respect that and look forward to her response.”

“It is sensible for the Government to seek to make the health service more efficient, but history shows us that reorganisation in itself is no silver bullet, and, if done badly, could make things worse. The health service has gone through many organisational transformations, but the costs of care and the challenges of p…”

“The question for the Committee is not only whether the Government should abolish NHS England, but whether they should abolish it without a plan or detailed costs, on the naive assumption that this reorganisation will be different from the many reorganisations that have gone before. That is why we have tabled an amendme…”

“The politicisation of the health service is part of the larger risk of putting control back into the Secretary of State’s hands. There are debates on various health topics in this House, celebrity campaigns on others, newspaper and media campaigns on further topics, and then there are other conditions without those cel…”

“Clause 3 provides the Treasury with new powers to make regulations that adjust tax rules for transfers under clause 2. These provisions are clearly necessary. Without clause 3, the abolition of NHS England, and the transfer of its assets, could produce new tax burdens. In their memorandum to the Delegated Powers and Re…”

“In Tuesday’s sitting, the Minister said that she accepted much of the criticism about how it would have been better to do things more quickly, but that is not where we are. Can she confirm how many employment contracts will require changes because of this reorganisation? What protections apply to staff whose employment…”

“The clause also enables the Secretary of State to transfer employment contracts from NHS England to other entities. We must not forget the shambolic way in which the Government have gone about abolishing NHS England so far. The Institute for Government called it “chaotic and incoherent”. Staff have gone—not many; 2.6% …”