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NHS Redress Bill [HL]

I thank the Minister for that response. I take his point about the time limitation for taking a case to court, but it seems odd that we have in the Bill an express statement about time limits for the commencement of proceedings but not for other parts of the process, when they are all in their entirety part of the sum total of action that gives redress. Vast numbers of people take out complaints against the NHS, and whatever the resolution of those complaints—favourable though it may be—those people are considerably disaffected, to say the least, by the fact that their complaint has taken such an immense length of time to resolve. Therefore, it seems to me that when one is setting out the elements of a scheme that will be open and transparent and will satisfy the needs of both clinicians and patients it is not unreasonable that there should be some commitment expressed in the Bill to ensure that proceedings are not dragged out during the investigative stage. At this stage, I have listened to what the Minister said, and I beg leave withdraw the amendment. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn.