Medicines for Human Use (National Rules for Homeopathic Products) Regulations 2006

My Lords, it is always interesting to follow my noble friend Lord Taverne in a debate. I look forward to taking part in debates with him as he is not only an incredibly knowledgeable but a very passionate speaker. It is important not to lose sight of what we are talking about here. We are talking about remedies for minor self-limiting conditions, such as travel sickness and muscular pain. Most of the orthodox equivalents for those conditions would be over-the-counter medicines, which probably have efficacy rates that are equally contentious. It therefore seems to me that the principal matter we should address is the extent to which these products are deemed to be safe and the claims that are made about them. I agree with what my noble Lord, Lord Rees, said in his introduction, although perhaps not with his conclusions. My reading of the order before us is that an extensive process is set out by which product manufacturers are required to demonstrate safety. There is an inherent dilemma in the questions my noble friend Lord Taverne poses to the homeopathic world. While he dismisses their products as being ineffective and not scientifically proven, he then asks for scientific proof. I would imagine that those on the other side of the argument would point out that that is an impossible thing to ask. They cannot, and perhaps do not wish to, prove what they do in scientific terms. I am struck by the extent to which we have to try to keep a sense of equivalence in all of this. The noble Lord, Lord Turnberg, made an interesting point about the extent to which homeopathic remedies might make people present late for conventional treatment. The same accusation might well be levelled against conventional orthodox treatments of a minor nature. That is one of the difficulties we have. The principal question I want the Minister to answer is: what would have been the effect on public health and the health of individuals had this measure not been tabled and had the MRHA not set out the requirements that it has? Leading on from that, the key question for all of us is what the consequent marketing authorisations will be for these products. What claims will manufacturers be able to make for them? The phrase ““for the relief of”” has already been mentioned. That phrase is used by those whose products for treating minor conditions such as flu are of a more conventional nature. I am not sure that they are any more effective. It is important that we know precisely what the marketing authorisation will be. What statement will manufacturers be able to make as a result of their product meeting the regulations? That issue was mentioned in the papers that we have been given. I note that in the consultation on the regulations there seemed to be a body of opinion that a product which had been through this process could be marketed as an anthroposophic medicinal product. I sincerely hope that that is not the case as that would be highly misleading for the general public. If as a result of going through these processes, a statement can be made that a product is based on homeopathic assessment, that is fair and reasonable. It is accurate and does not claim to be done on a scientific basis. There is agreement—whether negative or positive—that on balance homeopathy does no harm. Certainly its efficacy is unproven. We need to be sure that the measure does not open the way for product manufacturers to take greater licence than they should on making efficacy claims for products and regarding the basis of those claims. If the noble Lord can answer those questions, I shall be content for the measure to proceed.