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Health and Social Care Bill

I think I am right in saying that when High Court judges sit, they do so in threes. Certainly as magistrates we would sit in threes—indeed, several noble Lords are nodding their assent. Of course, magistrates have powers to imprison people, so they do a very responsible job. I am not so worried about the numbers, but what I do think is important is this. Where a member has expertise in an area, the role of that member should be transparent. Each member of a panel, although they will have different areas of experience, should be seen to be equal. When expert witnesses come forward to give advice and put forward their testimony, everybody should have a chance to put questions to them and listen to the answers. My worry is that there could be a confusion of roles if an expert person sits as a member of the panel. That could make life a bit more difficult. I am sorry to have to put forward these arguments because there is no one I want less to disagree with than the noble Baroness, but I am afraid that these are my views.