HL Deb 22 November 1976 vol 377 cc1715-6

47 Page 9, line 38, leave out "satisfied" and insert "advised by the Board"

48 Page 9, line 41, after "skills" insert "or that the need for specialised equipment or skills is reasonably likely to arise during the course of treatment for another condition"

49 Page 9, line 45, after "patient" insert "and to the practitioner of his choice".

The Commons disagreed to these Amendments for the following Reason:

50 Because the Amendments go significantly beyond the proposals announced on 15th December 1975.

Lord WELLS-PESTELL

My Lords, with the leave of the House, I beg to move that this House doth not insist on their Amendments Nos. 47 to 49 inclusive en bloc, to which the Commons have disagreed for the Reason numbered 50: Because the Amendments go significantly beyond the proposals announced on 15th December 1975. I do not propose to make any comment upon what those proposals were. I beg to move.

Moved, That this House doth not insist on the said Amendments, to which the Commons have disagreed for the Reason numbered 50.—(Lord Wells-Pestell)

Baroness YOUNG

My Lords, I do not think we wish to go over all the Goodman Agreements once more. I feel quite certain that this will be subjected to enough textual criticism in the future, no doubt books will be written about it, no doubt legal cases will be based upon it and no doubt doctors and patients alike will look to see whether the comma was really there, or whether it should have been somewhere else. It is so extraordinary, that perhaps we on this side of the House must be forgiven for wondering what on earth it was that persuaded everyone to agree with the doctrine contained in the agreements drawn up last December without any alteration being accepted at any time, in any particulars at all. However, we are not going to insist on these Amendments. I am bound to say that they were the kind of Amendments which the noble Lord, Lord Goodman, thought would be an improvement on his first thoughts in December, but clearly the Government are not going to have any further thoughts on this matter and, once again, history will tell whether or not these were the right words.

2.1 p.m.