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Health and Care Bill - Schedule 12 - Minor and consequential amendments
08 September 2026
Lead MP
Karin Smyth
Debate Type
Bill Debate
Tags
Parliamentary Procedure
Other Contributors: 23
At a Glance
Karin Smyth raised concerns about health and care bill - schedule 12 - minor and consequential amendments in the House of Commons. Other MPs contributed to the debate.
How the Debate Unfolded
MPs spoke in turn to share their views and ask questions. Here's what each person said:
Lead Contributor
Opened the debate
I beg to move, That the clause be read a Second time. This amendment aims to make minor and consequential changes to ensure the smooth implementation of the Health and Care Bill. These changes are necessary to align the bill with existing legislation and improve the clarity and coherence of the bill's provisions.
Karin Smyth
Lab
Bristol South
The amendment addresses several minor issues that will help in the effective implementation of the Health and Care Bill. It ensures that the bill is compatible with other relevant legislation and enhances the bill's clarity and operational efficiency.
Jim Allister
DUP
North Antrim
Jim Allister intervened to question the compatibility of new clause 94 with section 45B of the United Kingdom Internal Market Act 2020, expressing concerns over potential adverse impacts on intra-UK trade, particularly from Northern Ireland to Great Britain.
Bernard Jenkin
Con
Harwich and North Essex
Bernard Jenkin sought to intervene, but the exact nature of his contribution was not provided in the given text.
Judith Cummins
Lab
Bradford South
Cummins acknowledges the interventions and supports the debate on new clauses 113 and 114. She does not provide specific arguments but participates in the discussion.
Anna Dixon intervenes to suggest including ethnic inequalities in cancer outcomes and access to treatment in the review proposed by new clause 114.
Tim Farron
Lib Dem
Westmorland and Lonsdale
Tim Farron supports the new clauses and adds that in Lancashire and south Cumbria, only 29% of cancer patients receive radiotherapy. He highlights that only 41% of patients are treated within 62 days, despite the Government’s target of 85%, and emphasises the importance of treating patients within two months to maximise their chances of survival.
Helen Morgan
Lab
Torfaen
Argued that the amendments would protect patient safety, restore independent patient voices, and address the corridor care crisis. Emphasised the importance of whistleblowing routes and new clause 140 to end corridor care. Criticised the lack of assessment by the Department on A&E waiting times and their impact on excess deaths.
Liz Twist
Lab
Blaydon
Welcomed new clause 159 to address parity of esteem between physical and mental health by setting national waiting time standards for mental health services. Highlighted the need to measure and manage mental health waiting times to ensure transparency and patient outcomes.
Gosport
She argues that the funeral sector is currently unregulated, leading to cases of body mishandling and illegal practices. New clause 41 would require the Human Tissue Authority to oversee funeral directors and other relevant businesses, ensuring families can verify the legitimacy of the businesses they use. She cites the case of Elkin and Bell and Robert Bush, highlighting the need for regulation to protect grieving families from rogue operators.
She supports the idea of robust regulation, noting that reputable funeral directors want clear rules to separate them from rogue operators.
Stuart Andrew
Con
Pudsey
He references Donna Ockenden’s report into the mortuary issues in Nottingham, reinforcing the need for regulation to prevent such incidents.
Bernard Jenkin
Con
Harwich and North Essex
Bernard Jenkin supports amendments 1 to 4, which aim to remove the abolition of HSSIB (Health and Social Care Safety Investigations Bill) from the Health and Care Bill. He criticises the government for failing to justify removing this crucial safety investigation function.
Jeff Smith
Lab
Manchester, Withington
Jeff Smith proposes new clauses 86 and 87, which would apply principles of patient involvement, choice, and innovation to psychedelic-assisted therapy treatments involving schedule 1 controlled substances. He argues that research involving these drugs is restricted by bureaucratic barriers and delays, which hinder medical progress. He supports the Home Affairs Committee and ACMD recommendations to facilitate research and cites international precedents for clinical trials.
Anna Sabine speaks to new clauses 116 and 117, focusing on the availability of medical cannabis for children and equitable access to speech and language therapy. She shares a personal story of a constituent suffering from epilepsy, highlighting the importance of making medical cannabis available on the NHS. She also discusses her own experience with vocal cord paralysis, emphasising the need for a strategy to tackle unequal access to speech and language therapy.
Asked the Minister if her remarks suggest a review of the plans to scrap Healthwatch, expressing concern that ceasing statutory functions without a suitable alternative would risk another major failing in patient safety and scrutiny.
Bernard Jenkin
Con
Harwich and North Essex
Requested an intervention to ask a question, though the specific content of his intervention is not provided.
Requested an intervention to ask a question, though the specific content of his intervention is not provided.
Commended the Minister for her work in reducing waiting lists and asked if she agreed that the changes in the Bill would further help address issues with corridor care.
Requested an intervention to ask a question, though the specific content of her intervention is not provided.
Asked if the Minister accepted that the Prime Minister stated the need for regulation in the sector remains a priority for the Government.
Yvette Cooper
Lab
Normanton, Pontefract and Castleford
The Secretary of State emphasised the importance of the Bill in strengthening democratic accountability and focusing on patient care. She acknowledged the previous Health Secretaries' work in bringing down waiting lists, improving treatment, and increasing staffing levels. She also addressed the need to improve systems and structures that have held the NHS back, including the 2012 Lansley reforms, and committed to returning to arrangements that applied before 2012, with greater partnership and accountability.
Jim Dickson intervened to suggest an amendment to bring the data on dementia into a single place to drive progress on early diagnosis and treatment. He emphasised the importance of this issue, given that dementia is the most common cause of death in the UK.
Damian Hinds
Con
East Hampshire
Damian Hinds welcomed the Secretary of State back to the Department but expressed concern about the lack of detail behind a huge IT project and the removal of patient voice. He also highlighted the numerous top-down reorganisations of the NHS since 1974 and questioned whether another reorganisation would solve the NHS's problems.
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