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Health and Social Care Bill

As my hon. Friend the Minister knows, I was not going to speak on the Bill. However, alarm bells are ringing in my head as I sit here and listen to people's speeches. I know that they speak with the best intentions, but clause 16(3)(b) clearly states that regulations may"““make provision as to the manner in which a regulated activity is carried on””." We are discussing encompassing in that a regulator who will look after people and make provisions on how activity is conducted. I had grave doubts about telling people, ““You must stop infecting people as they enter your hospital.”” I do not think that any hospital intends to infect people. I do not want to tell doctors and nurses to wash their hands between going from patient to patient. That is a difficulty. If we are now to start telling the people who are running our health service, ““You must start feeding patients,”” something is dramatically wrong. If we are to start telling residential homes that they must start feeding their clients, that is wrong. If we list 24 different items that are included, when number 25 comes up we will be unable to blame the bodies, because they will say, ““It wasn't on your list of 24, Minister.”” Surely, we are providing a general duty. If the Minister is going to add more to the Bill, he should be careful. Anything left off will be deemed unimportant because of its omission. I acknowledge every sentiment about the problem of malnutrition in our hospitals and residential homes, but I ask the Minister, please, to be careful before he starts telling those organisations what meals they need to have and what vitamins they should put in their food. I felt that concern as I heard the debate; the Minister should be wary of going down that path.