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Health and Social Care Bill

My Lords, the Minister's reply was particularly helpful, and I am grateful to him for setting out in considerable detail how the Government view this problem. It was never my intention to press this amendment, but I am very glad that I encouraged myself to press the Minister on the central point at issue because it drew from noble Lords opposite some pertinent points, notably from the noble Baroness, Lady Meacher, and the noble Lord, Lord Ramsbotham. I am particularly grateful to the noble Lord, Lord Warner, for his helpful comments. The concluding point made by the noble Lord, Lord Warner, was that there was scope for the department to set its own expectations on how the two bodies should fulfil their respective roles. That point was borne out by the last exchange between the noble Baroness, Lady Meacher, and the Minister. There is clearly scope to examine, not so much precisely where the two bodies may interact and duplicate each another, but where the burdens placed on one of the bodies may be unnecessary because the other is doing an approximately similar area of work. Perhaps the Minister could look at that. I repeat that I found his reply particularly enlightening and feel comfortable, on that basis, in withdrawing the amendment. I beg leave to withdraw the amendment. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn. Clause 77 [Publication of programme of reviews etc.]: