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Health and Social Care Bill

My Lords, I do not know if it is a slight slip on the part of those who drafted the Bill that the word ““promotion”” is not already in the clause. The coalition agreement on public health states: "““The Government believe that we need action to promote public health, and encourage behaviour change to help people live healthier lives … harnesses innovative techniques to help people take responsibility for their own health””." That is a bit unfair on people because lifestyles are very much dependent on life chances. People who come from a rotten background may indulge in practices which are not particularly good for their health, but you cannot really ask them to change. We need to take into account a lot of the things which my noble friend Lord Beecham has just gone through because they are relevant to the practice of public health. The word ““promotion”” should definitely be included at the beginning of this clause.