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Health Bill

Welcome as government Amendment No. 102 is, and welcome as the Minister’s assurance is that he will write to us about the vehicles he expects will be included within the regulations, I do not feel I can let Clause 5 go by without registering my dissatisfaction over its highly skeletal nature and the fact that once again we are to await publication of the implementing regulations before we know where the devil in the detail lies. That is not a standard or routine moan on my part. I make the point because I do not think that we should ever lose sight of the fact that this is a Bill which sweeps away civil liberties in substantial swathes. Admittedly it does so in the name of public health. At the very least we should expect to see spelt out in the Bill precisely how and in what way those civil liberties are to be curtailed. We cannot do that, and we cannot debate the Government’s plans in any detail. I find that most regrettable. It may be that by the time we reach the next stage of the Bill we shall have the Minister’s letter in front of us, and that will give us a better basis on which to judge the merits of this clause. As we stand at present, I think that we should all feel somewhat short-changed. Without repeating any of the points that have been made in our previous debate that is all I wish to say at this point. I look forward to receipt of the Minister’s letter.