Speeches by Smyth.

“I thank my hon. Friend for his expertise and that work on the Home Affairs Committee. Again, it shows the Committee the wide range of work that goes on. Of course, many hon. Members are campaigning and working hard. Those shops are blights on our communities, and as with most illicit drug dealing, they affect the most …”

“Well, I thank the hon. Member for her support. As I said, I did not expect that people here present, who understand the impact of that work, were the ones who were thwarting that. I do not have off the top of my head exactly when the regulations under that Act will come forward, but I am sure we can furnish the hon. Me…”

“It is a pleasure to see you in the Chair, Ms Lewell. I will speak first to new clause 84, tabled by the hon. Member for Sleaford and North Hykeham. I reconfirm the Government’s focus on reducing long waits by improving patient flow, increasing productivity and delivering better emergency care for patients. Last night i…”

“To correct the shadow Minister, I do not think my hon. Friend the Member for Bury St Edmunds and Stowmarket said that; he said the waiting lists have gone up. To be clear, in case her memory eludes her again, they were at 4 million before the pandemic and the Conservative party—her party, whose manifesto she stood on—d…”

“Further to that point, I absolutely want to assure my hon. Friend the Member for Worthing West, who is not a member of this Committee, and indeed the members of this Committee that the Government fully appreciate the important role of public health professionals. They bring critical expertise in population health intel…”

“It is good to see you in the Chair, Dr Huq. I am grateful to the hon. Member for North Shropshire for tabling this new clause. I am sympathetic to its intentions: the security of data, the transparency of use and even realising the value of data. Its principles are in the interests of the public and the NHS, but we do …”

“I understand the intent of the hon. Member for North Shropshire and her commitment to parliamentary scrutiny, as well as that of her hon. Friend the Member for Oxford West and Abingdon. I hope that some of my points will address that. New clause 15 duplicates existing processes and creates responsibilities for the Secr…”

“Like the hon. Member for Isle of Wight East, I am grateful to the hon. Member for Winchester for bringing this discussion to the Committee. All Members are committed to ensuring that carers receive the care and support they need. The Government recognise that unpaid carers play a vital role in sustaining the health and…”

“I thank my hon. Friend. That is indeed one of the ways in which, working through the DWP and across Government, we have sought to bring in, as my hon. Friend the Member for Blaydon and Consett said, practical measures to make carers visible and to support them. That is exactly the sort of thing we wanted to do and have…”

“I thank my hon. Friend. I heard audible voices of approval for that point. I think that when any of us know or encounter children, whether it be in our own circle or when we visit schools in our constituency, we are very much struck by those who are at school and are themselves caring. I think most schools do a tremend…”

“The hon. Member for Sleaford and North Hykeham (Dr Johnson), the hon. Member for North Shropshire (Helen Morgan) and I are deep in the Health Bill Committee, and I have not seen them all day, so it is nice to have the opportunity to get back into the swing of our discussions. I am really grateful to my hon. Friend the …”

“Clause 59 ordered to stand part of the Bill.”

“The other issue that was raised by Opposition Members concerned the CQC looking into itself. I reassure the Committee that the CQC’s investigatory function will be empowered to do that if necessary. The investigations function within the CQC will have autonomy to launch investigations into any part of the health system…”

“Taken together, the clause and schedule provide for the abolition of Healthwatch England, which is a step that we are not taking lightly. I want to pay tribute to everybody involved in this work. In some areas, Healthwatch has played a really important role in amplifying the experiences of patients, families and carers…”

“The safe space issue is really important. I have said it before, and I will say it again: the Bill protects safe spaces. Safe space protections will continue to apply following the transfer of the investigation powers to the CQC. Sensitive information obtained by the CQC during the course of an investigation may not be…”

“Clause 58 is about the time period for compliance with NICE recommendations on health and social care provision. As we have heard, it will enable that period to be determined by NICE or the Secretary of State. NICE’s technology appraisals and highly specialised technology guidance play a vital role in ensuring that pat…”

“The Bill sets a high bar for exceptions to this prohibition on disclosure. The Opposition raised that issue, so I wanted to address it. The limited circumstances in which disclosure may be permitted are set out in the Bill, and the CQC will appoint a designated responsible person—we envisage it being the chief executiv…”

“The arrangements we have divorce those listening to patients from those with the power to make change. The patient voice was left on the outside lobbying in, too far from where local commissioning and national policymaking decisions take place. As set out in the 10-year health plan, we are simplifying the landscape so …”

“Of course, patient safety is what we need to get right. I will come on to that point, but there is a lot to get through with this clause. We can see its importance from the number of organisations and channels that exist. I have said that before, and I am sure we have all struggled as constituency MPs to support our co…”

“It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Ms Lewell. This morning, we had really good and detailed exchanges about patient safety and learning the role of HSSIB. Often politics is confrontational and divisive, but I want to be clear that I take at face value that every single Member who has spoken and who I have …”