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Health and Social Care Bill

I, too, have put my name to the amendment, but it would be tiresome for the Committee were I to speak to it at any length. The noble Baroness, Lady Stern, has sketched the background to the amendment and indicated that we are awaiting the Government’s thoughts. I am also aware that the Equality and Human Rights Commission, while giving its general support to the amendments, has indicated one or two reservations to suggest that we may not have got the wording quite right yet. It has also indicated that it is deep in discussion with the Government with a view to getting the wording quite right. Given that to that extent we are somewhat shadow-boxing as we await the Government’s amendment, it would be wearisome for me to detain the Committee any longer, save to indicate my support for the noble Baroness, Lady Stern. We are concerned that there should be an amendment to the Bill in this area and in this regard. We eagerly await the amendment that the Government are committed to bringing forward and we shall obviously engage with it at that point.