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Health and Social Care Bill

moved Amendment No. 24: 24: Clause 2, page 2, line 29, at end insert ““, and ( ) the promotion of sustainable development in relation to such activities.”” The noble Baroness said: This amendment stands in my name and that of my noble friend Lady Barker. We feel strongly that the promotion of sustainable development in relation to any activity undertaken by a government body should be considered. Noble Lords may think that that is covered by paragraphs (a), (b) and (c) of Clause 2(5), on page 2 of the Bill, and particularly by paragraph (c), which refers to, "““the efficient and effective use of resources in the carrying on of such activities””." However, it does not go far enough. The Care Quality Commission will be the main regulator in a huge enterprise. The mind boggles in trying to assess just how big will be the enterprise that it is going to try to oversee. The National Health Service alone spends £17 billion a year on goods and services, and I have not included in that figure social care services, which is the great worry for us throughout the Bill; we are concerned that social care will be pushed down the pecking order. I do not know how much we spend on social care services in this country, including all those provided by the private sector, which will be covered by this Bill. It must be an enormous amount of money. How many people are employed by these sectors? Much is said about the millions working in the NHS, but we must add to that the figure for all those employed by care services, the resources that they use and the impact on the environment. The health and social care industry is truly massive; it is probably the biggest undertaking in this country. We must pay heed to future generations and not ruin their quality of life in order to satisfy our needs today. Indeed, failure to do so will increase the incidence of both physical and mental illness in the future. [The Sitting was suspended for a Division in the House from 5.25 to 5.35 pm.]