Health and Social Care Bill

My Lords, I am grateful to the Minister and for the support for the fact that we need to address this issue. I am not asking for any more reassurances but I should like to believe that between now and Report there will be deeper discussions with local government, probably even addressing the machinery of government. I cannot believe that the existing silos of Whitehall will work when the Bill is implemented. There is now a cross-over between health and local government which has not existed in this country for many decades. Therefore, there is going to be a cross-over and a different kind of working relationship between the Department for Communities and Local Government and the Department of Health. That seems to me eminently sensible for reasons of both accountability and delivering a seamless service to the public. After all, that is what it is about. The public do not care where the service comes from; they want to know that the service is there. I appreciate the constraints that the noble Baroness is under, but I think that it was well worth while giving this issue a run-out. I have no doubt that we will return to it on Report, but basically I hope that there is more of an impetus and that Ministers’ officials will say, ““Well, we do need to have a little bit more discussion to lock this thing down””. The Government cannot afford to get this wrong with this legislation, as the Minister has realised. I think that, with a bit of extra thought, consultation and discussion within government and with local government, a satisfactory solution can probably be found. I beg leave to withdraw the amendment. Amendment 73 withdrawn. Amendments 74 to 75ZAA not moved. Clause 9 agreed. Amendment 75A not moved. Clause 10 : Duties of clinical commissioning groups as to commissioning certain health services Amendments 76 and 77 not moved. Clause 10 agreed. Clause 11 : Power of clinical commissioning groups as to commissioning certain health services Amendments 78 to 79A not moved. Clause 11 agreed. Clause 12 : Power to require Board to commission certain health services Amendments 80 to 84 not moved. Clause 12 agreed. Clause 13 : Secure psychiatric services Amendment 85 Moved by