Health Bill [HL]

I return briefly to the issue that I raised earlier in our debate on Amendment 54, which refers to safeguarding effectively against potential abuse. What will the Minister say about complementary and alternative medicine? Let me reassure the noble Baroness, Lady Cumberlege, by making it clear that there is no doubt that osteopathy and chiropractic by well trained personnel are valuable in the management of musculoskeletal disorders of various kinds. There is also no doubt that there is a physiological basis for the use of acupuncture in certain situations and that it has a role to play. Equally, patients with certain chronic conditions, not least those with terminal illness who may for instance be dying of cancer or other conditions, get great comfort from complementary medicine such as aromatherapy, massage and similar techniques that have no direct curative or therapeutic effect but are complementary to the other treatments that they are receiving. I support all of them. On the other hand, there is no way in which direct payments should ever be used for such things as iridology, radionics or crystal therapy, which have no evidence base and should never be paid for by the NHS. How can that be prevented?