Mike Hancock News
Open letter to constituents on the Health and Social Care Bill
Dear Constituent,
First of all, I must explain that I was a co-Chair of the committee stage of the Health and Social Care Bill. As with the Speaker in the main chamber this requires complete neutrality so that all sides can be confident of a fair debate and hearing. The parliamentary convention is that the chairs do not normally then take part in further parliamentary proceedings of that Bill so that their neutrality in the committee stage is not questioned, so to maintain that, I won't be voting in the subsequent stages of the Bill. I also understand that my colleagues who also co-Chaired the committe stage will be doing the same.
I will be frank with you in that this Bill has been subject to heated debate within the Liberal Democrats both among MPs and the wider party itself. There are I think two principles that have guided Liberal Democrats. Firstly, our fierce commitment to the NHS. Secondly, the belief that the administration and running of a £126 billion organisation can be improved. It is not just me saying that it could be improved. This was the conclusion of a cross-party committee just before the General Election that included a majority of Labour MPs. You can read their report at http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200910/cmselect/cmhealth/268/268i.pdf
Action taken by myself, and the Lib Dems, to ensure a pause and reconsideration of the Bill have, I believe, vastly improved it. Let me be absolutely clear that the NHS will continue to be free (with the exception of the current small charges such as prescription charges), so with no "privatisation" and based on need.
I still have reservations about the Bill and I hope in the next few days in the House of Commons and in its subsequent consideration in the House of Lords that it can be improved further.
But despite my reservations, let me be clear on a couple of things.
Firstly Secretaries of State for Health remain politically and legally accountable for the NHS just as they were when the NHS was founded in 1948. Indeed the Bill actually places new obligations on the Secretary of State to ensure that the NHS tackles health equality and to ensure the NHS implements the lessons of medical research to improve standards. In areas of Portsmouth people's life expectancy is up to ten years less than elsewhere in the country. So these issues of health inequality must be tackled.
There are also concerns over competition and the role of private companies. In terms of EU competition law, the Health Bill maintains the same competition rules as established by the Labour Government and does not change them under any circumstances.
I, along with my family, rely on the NHS. I know how important it is - to me personally, to my constituents and to the country. You may remember how dire the state of the NHS was in 1997 with patients being turfed out of their beds at 2am in the morning. We must never go back to that. I campaigned at the 1997 General Election for significantly more money for the NHS - paid, if necessary, by an extra penny on income tax. Labour, you may remember, followed the Conservative spending plans on the NHS for the first years of their Government. Eventually in their second term, they effectively took our advice by increasing National Insurance. Today we spend £2 on the NHS for every £1 we spent in 1997, even after inflation is taken into account. The Lib Dem agreement secured with the Conservatives ensures a real-terms increase in this parliament. In contrast, some of the Labour leadership candidates suggest that we should be looking at making real-term cuts to the NHS budget - I reject that. I believe that we should try and improve the NHS. Even Labour MPs have acknowledged that there are significant areas that can be improved. Their Government, for example, paid private companies over £250 million for operations that were never performed. Just think what £250 million would buy!
I appreciate the concerns that people have. However I believe not to try and improve the NHS would be a dereliction of any Government's duties. But the ethos and principles of the NHS must not be destroyed in doing that - above all that means free treatment based on need. I don't believe that it will be, especially in light of the safeguards and improvements that are being put in place following Lib Dem action. But I hope that MPs and members of the House of Lords will now push to strengthen those safeguards. The NHS is too important to destroy but equally it is too important not to try to nurture and improve.
I hope this helps. I really appreciate you taking time to get in touch with me. As always I welcome any further thoughts or comments you have on this important subject or indeed any other - please do not hesitate to get in touch.
But you can be assured that my commitment to the NHS remains very strong indeed as it has the whole of my political life.
Thanks again for getting in touch.
Best wishes
Mike
Mike Hancock MP
Portsmouth South and Southsea | House of Commons | London | SW1A 0AA | T: 020 7219 1102 | F: 020 7219 2496
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