The Lords has been debating the Owen/Hennessy amendment to the NHS bill, which threatens to upset the coalition. Owen and Hennessy have called for the bill to be referred to
an extraordinary committee, which would report by 19 December, and they insist that the secretary of state must remain ultimately responsible for services.
Lord Howe opened for the government and spoke of the need to delegate power away from the secretary of state. The he added:
‘We are unequivocally clear that the Bill safeguards the Secretary of State’s accountability. However we are willing to listen to and consider the concerns that have been raised and make any necessary amendment to put the matter beyond doubt.’
That last sentence is intriguing because it’s not clear which amendments are acceptable to the government. The FT’s Kiran Stacey reports that Lord Howe circulated a letter about the Owen/Hennessy amendment earlier this morning which explicitly stated that:
‘[The] potential for slippage in the timetable carries grave implications for the government’s ability to achieve royal assent for the bill by the end of the session.
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