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Health and Social Care Bill

My Lords, I have listened carefully to what my noble friend has said and to the comments of other noble Lords. The noble Lord, Lord Ramsbotham, said that there was a need to draw a clear distinction between regulation audit and inspection and the approach of ticking boxes. I hope that the successor organisation has that clearly in mind when it sets out to undertake its task. The noble Baroness, Lady Young, has sought to reassure me. I wish her good luck in the task that she is to undertake. However, ““risk-based and proportionate”” inspection frightens me, because I know, as will other Members of the House, what that means. It means that some will get through that should be sorted out, but they will not be sorted out because they will slip through under that regime. However, if we are to proceed by introducing and using the reserve power to which my noble friend referred, then so be it. The noble Baroness, Lady Howarth, referred to flexibility in inspection in her support for the noble Baroness, Lady Young. I understand perfectly where she is coming from, because she has made a number of contributions to which I have listened closely during the various proceedings on the Bill. Finally, the Minister said that she undertakes to follow this up further. We could read a lot into that. I certainly want to do so, as long as following this up further is based on taking evidence not only from but through CSCI. If the information that my noble friend seeks comes from the senior management of CSCI, it will only reiterate the case that CSCI has made repeatedly in recent months that almost everything is all right. I do not accept that. If she means that she will seek evidence from a wider cohort of people—one that does not necessarily include the group that I have just referred to—I wish her the best of luck and I think that we will find where the truth lies. I hope that at some stage in the future I can table a Question to which she can give us far more up-to-date information than the information that is currently available. On that basis, I beg leave to withdraw the amendment. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn.