It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Mr Hollobone. I am grateful to have a further opportunity—you might wonder why we are taking another chance to raise the issue—to discuss the Leeds children’s heart unit. Given that there is a new ministerial team at the Department of Health—I...

It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Mr Hollobone. I am grateful to have a further opportunity—you might wonder why we are taking another chance to raise the issue—to discuss the Leeds children’s heart unit. Given that there is a new ministerial team at the Department of Health—I...

My hon. Friend has led this campaign in Parliament with his customary charm and tenacity. As ever, he is making an excellent case. The national health service is paid for by the public for the benefit of the public. Ultimately, the services that we provide should be the ones that...

My hon. Friend has led this campaign in Parliament with his customary charm and tenacity. As ever, he is making an excellent case. The national health service is paid for by the public for the benefit of the public. Ultimately, the services that we provide should be the ones that...

I am grateful for my hon. Friend’s kind words. It has been a tremendous cross-party campaign. People right across our region have been speaking in high praise of the unit. My hon. Friend is absolutely right that it should be about what patients want. Patient choice is a bedrock of...

I am grateful for my hon. Friend’s kind words. It has been a tremendous cross-party campaign. People right across our region have been speaking in high praise of the unit. My hon. Friend is absolutely right that it should be about what patients want. Patient choice is a bedrock of...

Another concern that people have raised is the initial consultation that took place, especially with regard to the language and translation for a large section of our community who suffer particularly from congenital heart disease. Will my hon. Friend comment on that? Does he think that that issue has been...

Another concern that people have raised is the initial consultation that took place, especially with regard to the language and translation for a large section of our community who suffer particularly from congenital heart disease. Will my hon. Friend comment on that? Does he think that that issue has been...

No, I do not. The projections of population growth, particularly in the south Asian community, are a huge issue that has not been fully addressed. I hope that that issue will be taken up by the independent panel when it considers the detail of the decision that was reached.

It would...

No, I do not. The projections of population growth, particularly in the south Asian community, are a huge issue that has not been fully addressed. I hope that that issue will be taken up by the independent panel when it considers the detail of the decision that was reached.

It would...

What assurances has my hon. Friend had regarding ambulance services? He is right that Embrace, the Leeds service that looks after children in getting them from home to hospital, is second to none. How will Newcastle get anywhere near that quality of service in the time scale required?

What assurances has my hon. Friend had regarding ambulance services? He is right that Embrace, the Leeds service that looks after children in getting them from home to hospital, is second to none. How will Newcastle get anywhere near that quality of service in the time scale required?

The answer is that I do not know. I have not been given any assurances that that will happen, which again highlights the crucial problem with the decision: we will be subjecting our constituents to a lesser service.

I spoke to another family at the unit. Libby was diagnosed at 20...

The answer is that I do not know. I have not been given any assurances that that will happen, which again highlights the crucial problem with the decision: we will be subjecting our constituents to a lesser service.

I spoke to another family at the unit. Libby was diagnosed at 20...

I congratulate the hon. Gentleman on securing the debate, which, as he rightly points out, is extremely important. Does he agree that it is not just the children’s congenital heart problem services that serve us so well at Leeds general

infirmary, but the post-16 services, which the review did not...

I congratulate the hon. Gentleman on securing the debate, which, as he rightly points out, is extremely important. Does he agree that it is not just the children’s congenital heart problem services that serve us so well at Leeds general

infirmary, but the post-16 services, which the review did not...

The hon. Gentleman makes an absolutely first-class point. Indeed, I think we have all asked the question: why is the review into children’s services being held separately from that into adults’ services? It is bizarre. We know that the surgeons operating on adults are often the same people who operate...

The hon. Gentleman makes an absolutely first-class point. Indeed, I think we have all asked the question: why is the review into children’s services being held separately from that into adults’ services? It is bizarre. We know that the surgeons operating on adults are often the same people who operate...

I echo other Members’ compliments about the force of the hon. Gentleman’s case. The review, if it is about anything, must be about the right clinical outcomes for children. That is why we are all here. We are all so passionate about the Leeds children’s heart surgery unit, which I...

I echo other Members’ compliments about the force of the hon. Gentleman’s case. The review, if it is about anything, must be about the right clinical outcomes for children. That is why we are all here. We are all so passionate about the Leeds children’s heart surgery unit, which I...

The right hon. Gentleman is absolutely right. He makes a clever and important point, because that is the foundation of the decision, and the information either does not exist or is incorrect. I want a root-and-branch review of the decision and all the information that was at the disposal of...

The right hon. Gentleman is absolutely right. He makes a clever and important point, because that is the foundation of the decision, and the information either does not exist or is incorrect. I want a root-and-branch review of the decision and all the information that was at the disposal of...

rose—

rose—

Thank you, Mr Hollobone. That is very helpful, as your chairmanship always is. It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship.

I welcome the Minister to her post, and I congratulate the hon. Member for Pudsey (Stuart Andrew) on securing this debate. His cross-party and cross-regional leadership on this matter...

Thank you, Mr Hollobone. That is very helpful, as your chairmanship always is. It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship.

I welcome the Minister to her post, and I congratulate the hon. Member for Pudsey (Stuart Andrew) on securing this debate. His cross-party and cross-regional leadership on this matter...

I congratulate my neighbour, my hon. Friend the Member for Pudsey (Stuart Andrew), on everything that he has done and on securing this debate. It is also good to have four other parliamentary neighbours here, as well as many other colleagues from our region. That speaks for itself.

I put on...

I congratulate my neighbour, my hon. Friend the Member for Pudsey (Stuart Andrew), on everything that he has done and on securing this debate. It is also good to have four other parliamentary neighbours here, as well as many other colleagues from our region. That speaks for itself.

I put on...

I join with hon. Members in congratulating the hon. Member for Pudsey (Stuart Andrew) on securing the debate and on the way that he has handled the campaign. He has been inclusive. He has handled it sympathetically and intelligently, and he has worked with a very good campaign in Leeds.

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I join with hon. Members in congratulating the hon. Member for Pudsey (Stuart Andrew) on securing the debate and on the way that he has handled the campaign. He has been inclusive. He has handled it sympathetically and intelligently, and he has worked with a very good campaign in Leeds.

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It is a pleasure to take part in a debate under your chairmanship again, Mr Hollobone. I, too, congratulate my hon. Friend the Member for Pudsey (Stuart Andrew). This is something of an action replay, not only for you, Mr Hollobone—you were in the Chair last week for the debate...

It is a pleasure to take part in a debate under your chairmanship again, Mr Hollobone. I, too, congratulate my hon. Friend the Member for Pudsey (Stuart Andrew). This is something of an action replay, not only for you, Mr Hollobone—you were in the Chair last week for the debate...

I want to intervene to defend the Minister. My hon. Friend is entirely right about the geographical problems in our area; but even if we accept the argument that we need bigger units, is not the core issue the fact that the population—the patient base—is in our region, not in...

I want to intervene to defend the Minister. My hon. Friend is entirely right about the geographical problems in our area; but even if we accept the argument that we need bigger units, is not the core issue the fact that the population—the patient base—is in our region, not in...

As usual, my hon. Friend and neighbour is correct. Because of the remoteness and so on, the assumption that all patients in northern Lincolnshire will transfer to Newcastle will simply not be borne out.

They will choose alternatives and I suggest that most will gravitate south. Therefore the Newcastle target...

As usual, my hon. Friend and neighbour is correct. Because of the remoteness and so on, the assumption that all patients in northern Lincolnshire will transfer to Newcastle will simply not be borne out.

They will choose alternatives and I suggest that most will gravitate south. Therefore the Newcastle target...

It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship this afternoon, Mr Hollobone. I congratulate my hon. Friend the Member for Pudsey (Stuart Andrew) on securing this important debate. He has been a champion of the children’s heart unit in Leeds, and I know that the staff, and, most importantly,...

It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship this afternoon, Mr Hollobone. I congratulate my hon. Friend the Member for Pudsey (Stuart Andrew) on securing this important debate. He has been a champion of the children’s heart unit in Leeds, and I know that the staff, and, most importantly,...

Thank you, Mr Hollobone. As I was saying, throughout this saga I have been reluctant to compare the Leeds unit directly with others, in particular Newcastle’s. My intention is not to criticise the Newcastle unit, which has also carried out great work, saving many young lives over a number of...

Thank you, Mr Hollobone. As I was saying, throughout this saga I have been reluctant to compare the Leeds unit directly with others, in particular Newcastle’s. My intention is not to criticise the Newcastle unit, which has also carried out great work, saving many young lives over a number of...