Government defeated in Lords over Health Bill
Released 09/02/2012
The Health and Social Care Bill has suffered a defeat in the House of Lords by four votes, as Peers vote for an amendment on mental health
The Government has thus far offered more than 100 concessions in an effort to get the bill passed
The Government has suffered a defeat in the House of Lords over the Health and Social Care Bill over the issue of mental health, calling for greater prominence of the subject to be in the legislation.
Lord Patel, a cross-bench peer, proposed an amendment demanding that the health secretary ensures that mental health care is treated as importantly as physical health by the NHS.
Despite arguments against amendment the motion was passed by the Lords by 244 votes to 240, other amendments were also debated yesterday in the Lords, though none of them were voted upon by Peers.
The Government has thus far offered more than 100 concessions in an effort to get the bill passed, but opponents say the legislation should be dropped entirely.
Opposition to the Bill has been voiced by several leading medical groups including the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) and the BMA (British Medical Association), who have also called for Health Secretary to resign.
The Bill, opposed by the Labour party, has also been contested by Liberal Democrats and independent peers, indicating that the legislation could face difficulties in getting through parliament.
The Prime Minister, David Cameron defended the Health Bill yesterday amid called for Labour MPs to drop the legislation altogether.
Cameron responded by stating that the Labour party had previously supported NHS reform and that “they are not in favour of the money. They are not in favour of the reform. They are just a bunch of opportunists”.
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