Speeches by Robertson.

“Presumably, there are some objective criteria around assessments. No matter how keen an area is to implement the model, sadly the areas where it might not be happening so well are those where the leadership is lacking, and they are not coming forward to you—“We have a problem. We would like to explore this.” I want to …”

“And there are some objective criteria to assess the need rather than the willingness.”

“How are you monitoring the impact of the end to the service development funding for community mental health services?”

“So you would not accept any concerns that its ending could jeopardise progress in transforming community mental health services?”

“Given that it will now be local decision making on how to allocate and spend this money, there could be areas where the end to service development funding is exactly that, because of local decision making about how equivalent money is spent. Are you monitoring the impact at all, regarding local differences?”

“It sounds as if devolution is also deregulation because targets disappear, and it is targets by which you measure success or lack thereof for local systems. If things such as the mental health investment standard are not being mandated to local health systems, that looks to me like devolution is also deregulation, whic…”

“So there is no confirmation that local health systems will still be required to meet that standard? It is a concern if the Government cannot confirm that.”

“Can you confirm that local health systems will still be required to meet the mental health investment standard after this financial year?”

“How do you deal with the wider issue that, in devolving decision making, you open up the possibility of a postcode lottery and a very uneven provision of services across the country?”

“I want to pick up on the Chair’s question about the timeline and criteria for scaling up the pilots. You say that it is dependent on the three-year spending review. How does it tie in with the neighbourhood health centres generally that are referred to in the 10-year plan? I think the figure in that is for 50 centres. …”

“In the 10-year plan, there is a plan—indeed, it was one of the main planks that the Government were promoting—for 50, I think, neighbourhood health centres to be set up across the country, starting with need first. There are then pilots for neighbourhood mental health centres, and at the moment we have no figure for ho…”

“May I suggest that if 50 neighbourhood health centres are rolled out according to the 10-year plan, we must expect at least 50 neighbourhood mental health centres, because it would be bizarre to have a situation where you have a neighbourhood health centre that does not cater for mental health?”

“Putting to one side for the moment the questions around timescales, is it the Government’s intention that at some point everyone will have access to a neighbourhood mental health centre?”

“On the point about financial risk for local authorities, does my hon. Friend agree there is absolutely nothing in the Bill that local authorities such as mine, the Isle of Wight council, would possibly want to touch when it comes to franchising for buses across my constituency? The risk for small unitary authorities is…”

“It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Mr Stringer. I thank the hon. Member for Newton Aycliffe and Spennymoor (Alan Strickland) for securing this debate and for speaking with such knowledge and passion, not only about the Stockton and Darlington railway but about railways more generally and the impact they…”

“Talking of local government structures, can you see an endgame where a local devolved mayor area is different to an ICB area and that works? Is the endgame to have a perfect overlap?”

“What is the consequence ultimately for an ICB that fails to deliver on the savings? What are you ultimately saying to them?”

“Good afternoon. How can you be sure that the 50% cuts that you are requiring from ICBs will not simply translate into fewer clinics, fewer staff and longer waits for patients?”

“You are reducing the operating costs of the commissioners who are responsible for the large majority of commissioned services locally in hospitals. How are they expected to operate on half their previous allocated budget and for that not to be a risk to delivering frontline services?”

“By way of finishing, can I ask you my original question that Glen Burley answered from his perspective? Do you have any concerns about the 50% cuts to operating budgets with ICBs? Do you have any concerns that those could lead to fewer clinics, fewer staff and ultimately longer waiting lists?”