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NHS Redress Bill [HL]

I thank the Minister for his reply, but there is something that does not quite follow. The provision of service is designed to help in reaching an agreement to settle; that seems different from the provision of a jointly instructed independent medical expert. Reading that—admittedly as a lay person rather than a lawyer—it seems to me that provisions that are designed to help people reach an agreement to settle carries some loading for anyone entering into the scheme. Given that there was the earlier lack of clarity about the ability of individuals to trigger the scheme, those two things taken together seemed to load the process towards the NHS. However, I shall read what the Minister has said, study the Official Report in more detail and weigh it up against what has been achieved in the pilot schemes, in which individuals were enabled to go through a process of seeking redress in a far shorter time scale and a far more satisfactory way, and avoiding litigation—which is always in the best interests of both parties. I beg leave to withdraw the amendment. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn.