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Greater London Authority Bill

Amendment No. 6 is part of the group. Therefore, I would particularly like to speak to this point. Amendment No. 6 extends the number of offices to which the confirmatory hearings apply. We will have fuller debates on health strategy later and on the role of the health adviser and his or her deputies. That is part of consideration of the Bill. The amendment would include the health adviser and the deputy health adviser on the list of individuals whose confirmation is required by the Assembly. As will become clear from our forthcoming debates, the position of health adviser could potentially have great influence over the health service in London. Sweeping changes that impact on all Londoners could be made under the health inequalities strategy. In those circumstances, we do not believe that the health adviser should have an automatic appointment from within the Civil Service—and we propose another amendment to that effect later—nor do we believe that the appointment should be without scrutiny approval. Therefore, we propose Amendment No. 6.