§
[No. 107]
Schedule 3, page 59, line 31, at end insert"; and in determining what matters arise from such arrangements any arrangements for the provision of services at an establishment maintained by a Minister of the Crown for patients who are mainly members of the armed forces of the Crown shall be disregarded".
§ LORD ABERDAREMy Lords, I beg to move that this House doth agree with the Commons in their Amendment No. 107. This Amendment removes a dual right of complaint by debarring the Health Service Commissioner from investigating any action taken by or on behalf of the Ministry of Defence in pursuance of arrangements made with National Health Service bodies for provision by the Ministry of services to National Health Service patients in Ministry of Defence hospitals. Any complaint by patients in these hospitals can already be investigated by the Parliamentary Commissioner for Administration.
§ Moved, That this House doth agree with the Commons in the said Amendment.—(Lord Aberdare.)
§ On Question, Motion agreed to.
§ BARONESS SEROTAMy Lords, before the noble Lord moves Amendment No. 108, I wonder whether I might make a suggestion. We are very conscious of the strain we are placing on his voice, let alone physical energy in jumping up and down to the Dispatch Box moving this great number of Amendments. So far as we on this side are concerned, in view of our understanding that Amendments 108 to 243 are acceptable—with the exception of 112, 114 and 129, which are consequential on Lord Vernon's Amendment to the Commons Amendment No. 4—we should be happy for the noble Lord, Lord Aberdare, to move them all en bloc, if that would be acceptable to the other Members of the House.
§ LORD ABERDAREMy Lords, I am very grateful to the noble Baroness for that suggestion. May I say, although it has been a bit of a strain jumping up and down, I should like to pay tribute to the Chair, who has been jumping up and down with a greater regularity than I have. The noble Baroness's suggestion would be very convenient for me. If I may say so to my noble friend Lord Vernon, he will wish to object to Amendments Nos. 114 and 129, and I have nothing to say to that, but I would ask him to allow us to accept No. 112, because this Amendment is not related to charging arrangements, but simply seeks to ensure that there is power to include family planning services as part of the personal medical services provided by medical practitioners under Part IV. I think my noble friend would be wrong to oppose this particular Commons Amendment. It goes some way, I should have thought, towards what he himself wishes, which is a very comprehensive family planning service; therefore, it would be a pity if he were to remove the power for general practitioners to play heir part in it.