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21/03/2012
NHS Reforms Approved By MPs
The highly controversial NHS reform bill has survived its final parliamentary test and is set to become law.
A last minute call by Labour for MPs to postpone their final consideration of the overhaul in until an assessment of the potential risks is published was defeated by 82 votes.
The House of Lords approved the bill late on Monday evening.
The government now hopes the Health and Social Care Bill will get Royal Assent and become law by Easter.
The bill has had a difficult passage through Parliament with the government conceding substantial changes to the legislation.
The final debate took place on Monday with the Labour motion on the issue of potential risks by 328 to votes to 246.
Shadow health secretary Andy Burnham said as the bill was debated: "The only hope that I can give to people worried about the future of the NHS today is that this might be the end of the bill but it is just the beginning of our campaign."
Burnham went on to say that the bill would be overturned if Labour won the next election.
Trade unions have also said they will not relent in their opposition to the bill when it becomes law.
Unison general secretary Dave Prentis said: "We will continue to campaign hard to try and mitigate the worst excesses of this bill," adding that ministers had ignored the “groundswell of opposition”.
The bill will not officially become law until the Queen has signed the bill and it returns to the Commons for Royal Assent some time before Easter.
(H/GK)
A last minute call by Labour for MPs to postpone their final consideration of the overhaul in until an assessment of the potential risks is published was defeated by 82 votes.
The House of Lords approved the bill late on Monday evening.
The government now hopes the Health and Social Care Bill will get Royal Assent and become law by Easter.
The bill has had a difficult passage through Parliament with the government conceding substantial changes to the legislation.
The final debate took place on Monday with the Labour motion on the issue of potential risks by 328 to votes to 246.
Shadow health secretary Andy Burnham said as the bill was debated: "The only hope that I can give to people worried about the future of the NHS today is that this might be the end of the bill but it is just the beginning of our campaign."
Burnham went on to say that the bill would be overturned if Labour won the next election.
Trade unions have also said they will not relent in their opposition to the bill when it becomes law.
Unison general secretary Dave Prentis said: "We will continue to campaign hard to try and mitigate the worst excesses of this bill," adding that ministers had ignored the “groundswell of opposition”.
The bill will not officially become law until the Queen has signed the bill and it returns to the Commons for Royal Assent some time before Easter.
(H/GK)
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