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Health and Social Care Bill (Programme) (No. 3)

I am grateful for my hon. Friend's contribution, as that is an excellent point. If hon. Members will bear with me, I shall discuss new clause 6 and what I believe the implications of the Government's proposal would be for the Bill and for health inequalities. I was intrigued by the Secretary of State's assurances in his opening statement about the responsibilities being conferred on him in the Bill that did not apply when Labour was in power. I believe he said that those powers were devolved to primary care trusts, but if PCTs are disappearing or clustering and strategic health authorities are disappearing over time or being clustered, surely it is right that the Secretary of State, as an accountable politician, should have these powers clearly defined in the Bill. I did not mean to digress, Mr Deputy Speaker. Those remarks related to clause 1 and I shall confine myself to the provisions before us. As I have said, many concerns have been raised about the approach being taken, to this cherished institution, not least those set out by my right hon. Friend the Member for Holborn and St Pancras about patient perception.