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NHS Redress Bill [HL]

moved Amendment No. 11:"Page 2, leave out line 24." The noble Baroness said: This amendment takes issue with the language of Clause 3(2), which provides that the scheme has to provide for the making of an offer of compensation. Of course we have our differences around these Benches on that particular issue. However, under paragraph (b) the clause also deals with,"““the giving of an explanation, except in specified circumstances””." It is entirely unclear what those specified circumstances may be. It is rather worrying that we should have circumstances specified on the face of the Bill without being told what they might be. Who will decide what those specified circumstances might be, and why should there be these specified circumstances about a failure to provide an explanation, when we have all been saying in amendment after amendment that an explanation is one of the most important things to the patients concerned? So if there really are specified circumstances that we could all recognise and sign up to, surely they should be on the face of the Bill. That is why I beg to move this amendment, to remove that small part of the sentence from the Bill.