Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Bill

I support the comments made earlier by my hon. Friend the Member for Luton, North (Kelvin Hopkins). The whole agenda is about the modernisation of public services, and it concentrates on structures. The truth, however, is that people, not structures, make changes. Whatever we decide in the next few days, we will be reliant on ordinary working people to implement the changes and make them work for the people who send us here. We hear regularly from the Government the mantra, ““What matters is what works.”” It will not work if the work force is not consulted and does not have ownership of what is going on. If we ignore the work force, it will not support what we try to do. We are looking for clarity in the Bill. It should say explicitly that recognised trade unions should be consulted—not, as it currently says,"““such other persons as appear…to be appropriate””." Who will decide who appears to be appropriate? Will it be the local councor the local trust? If it is written into the Bill, there will be no ambiguity, and the people who deliver the service will be involved at all stages. A consulted work force is a happy work force, even when faced with change. I represented social services in Newcastle long after John Lewis was no longer paying rates there. For 15 years, from 1990, I saw massive changes. Social workers moved from local government into the health service and home care workers competed with private firms that went into people’s houses at different times of day, with different people working there. Residential and day care services changed drastically. Yes, we tried to oppose the changes, but ultimately we had to work with them. Regular consultation and discussion, involving the work force and those who were being cared for, were key to that. I make a plea to the Minister to insert into clause 82 words that would mean that recognised trade unions will be consulted at every level.