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Health and Social Care Bill

Amendment No. 204 is grouped with the amendment so ably moved by the noble Earl, Lord Howe, and I am glad that it is, for reasons that will become obvious. When the Treasury starts to make health policy, I think that it is time for Parliament to start asking serious questions and there is absolutely no doubt that this is a piece of Treasury-inspired policy formulation. My colleague in the other place, Sandra Gidley, described the health in pregnancy grant as a gimmick. She was right. Certainly it is evident that, however good the intention behind this policy, its implications have not been worked through as they should have been. In moving his amendment, the noble Earl, Lord Howe, raised some fundamental questions on this policy’s effect on maternal and neonatal health. The amendment in my name may appear to be slightly flippant at first, but it is not. It relates to the residence of the mother. Back in the dim and distant past, I had the great pleasure of working on pensions and DWP matters and I understand that this is a standard piece of DWP legislation. I therefore seek clarification that this measure will extend to British citizens who are, for example, in the Armed Forces or partners of those serving in the forces. The Minister will probably reassure me on that. That being so, how will the Government monitor and oversee the system that they have set up and to which the noble Earl referred? How will we know whether people in other countries are going through the system of advice before payment is made? My questions are principally not about payments or the definition of payments but about how the measure will work as a health policy.