---

Health and Social Care Bill

Can the Minister define ““reasonable requirements””? What is ““reasonable”” and in whose mind would something be reasonable or unreasonable? Some of us would say that the discrepancies we see emerging now are not reasonable, but they are decisions that are already being made in commissioning. This will become very important because of the financial climate in which the commissioning groups will operate. I would also appreciate knowing who the patient can actually appeal to. The noble Earl has just said in his response that patients can go to judicial review, but the terms of such reviews are tightly drawn and it is a difficult, adversarial process. You have to be a very motivated person to pursue it. But we are talking about patients who are ill, who often are vulnerable and do not have the financial resources needed to undertake such an activity.