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NHS Redress Bill [HL]

I am not so sure about that, my Lords. I differ from the noble Lord on that; a much greater degree of confidence is perceived by the public when such an arrangement is put in place. The Minister listed a raft of practical difficulties in this matter and pointed out that I had not made clear how, for example, a conflict of views would be resolved, how the independent overseer could be supported and so on. Those are not complicated questions to resolve and are certainly not beyond the wit of all of us, with good will, to sort out between now and a further day when the Bill could return to this House, should I decide to divide it. This is an issue of principle. As the noble Baroness, Lady Neuberger, indicated, the concern is not confined to this Chamber or even to Parliament; it extends much more widely than that. The need for an element of independence in the scheme, in whatever form, is an issue of principle. Because I want the scheme to work well, we owe it to ourselves to ask the Government and the other place to have one further look at this issue. On Question, Whether the said amendment(No. 4A) shall be agreed to? Their Lordships divided: Contents, 149; Not-Contents, 133. Motion, as amended, agreed to.