§
5 Page 3, line 1, leave out subsections (1) and (2) and insert—
(1) Within 12 months after the passing of this Act the Board shall submit to the Secretary of State proposals for reducing, in the case of each Area Health Authority, Health Board and group of preserved Boards in Great Britain, the number of beds at NHS hospitals administered by that Authority, or by Boards within that group, authorised under section 1(1) of the 1968 Act to be made available to resident private patients, provided that the total number of beds proposed for such reduction shall not exceed 1,000.
(2) It shall be the duty of the Secretary of State to give effect to the said proposals by revoking the authorisations for those beds, and to make those beds available for use by resident patients who are not private patients.
§ 6 Page 3, leave out from beginning of line 13 to "due" in line 18 and insert "In making such proposals the Board shall have"
§ 7 Page 3, line 25, leave out "and"
§ 8 Page 3, line 28, after "facilities" insert "at a satisfactory standard"
§ The Commons disagreed to these Amendments for the following Reason:
§ 9 Because the Amendments represent a major change in the proposals which were discussed between the Government and the medical profession, and which were announced to Parliament on 15th December 1975.
1696§ Lord WELLS-PESTELLMy Lords, with the leave of the House, I beg to move that the House doth not insist on their Amendments Nos. 5 to 8 en bloc, to which the Commons have disagreed for the Reason numbered 9.
The Commons point out that the Amendments represent a major change in the proposals discussed between the Government and the medical profession. We have so often been through the Goodman Proposals that I am sure that it will not be your Lordships' wish to go over that ground again.
§ Moved, That the House doth not insist on the said Amendments, to which the Commons have disagreed for the Reason numbered 9.—(Lord Wells-Pestell.)
§ Baroness YOUNGMy Lords, the noble Lord, Lord Wells-Pestell, is quite right in saying that we have been over the ground of the Goodman Proposals too often to wish to repeat them. We find it disappointing that the Government have taken such a very narrow interpretation of what could have been done in the Health Services Bill, but we shall not insist upon these Amendments.