To reduce the salary of the Secretary of State for Health by £1000. Twelfth opposition day debate (part 2). Motion negatived on division (219 to 282). Amendment agreed on division (269 to 207).

To reduce the salary of the Secretary of State for Health by £1000. Twelfth opposition day debate (part 2). Motion negatived on division (219 to 282). Amendment agreed on division (269 to 207).

I will give way to the right hon. Gentleman.

I will give way to the right hon. Gentleman.

The hon. Gentleman is talking absolute nonsense. Appointments to primary care trusts are made by a completely independent statutory appointments commission. I cannot remember whether the Conservatives supported its establishment, but it is completely independent. Far from people being ashamed of their politics, if people in his party, my party...

The hon. Gentleman is talking absolute nonsense. Appointments to primary care trusts are made by a completely independent statutory appointments commission. I cannot remember whether the Conservatives supported its establishment, but it is completely independent. Far from people being ashamed of their politics, if people in his party, my party...

Of course I agree with him that for the most serious—[Interruption.] The hon. Gentleman was complaining earlier that he wanted better stroke services. He knows perfectly well that that means changes to local A and E departments and hospitals and some services moving from local A and E departments and...

Of course I agree with him that for the most serious—[Interruption.] The hon. Gentleman was complaining earlier that he wanted better stroke services. He knows perfectly well that that means changes to local A and E departments and hospitals and some services moving from local A and E departments and...

My hon. Friend makes an extremely important point. Frankly, the message to NHS staff that we are hearing from Conservative Members is, ““You don’t need more money because you would have made the improvements anyway, so you don’t need the extra staff or the higher pay and we won’t give...

My hon. Friend makes an extremely important point. Frankly, the message to NHS staff that we are hearing from Conservative Members is, ““You don’t need more money because you would have made the improvements anyway, so you don’t need the extra staff or the higher pay and we won’t give...

Professor Sir George Alberti and Professor Roger Boyle—

Professor Sir George Alberti and Professor Roger Boyle—

Professor Alberti has said consistently that the most specialist services need a larger catchment area.

Professor Alberti has said consistently that the most specialist services need a larger catchment area.

No, I will not give way again. That is exactly the policy that the right hon. Member for Witney (Mr. Cameron) put into his party’s manifesto just two years ago. The Conservatives voted against the extra money that we are putting into the national health service—more than £8 billion more...

No, I will not give way again. That is exactly the policy that the right hon. Member for Witney (Mr. Cameron) put into his party’s manifesto just two years ago. The Conservatives voted against the extra money that we are putting into the national health service—more than £8 billion more...

The hon. Gentleman makes an important point, although Sir Liam Donaldson, the chief medical officer, stresses the point that the impact of smoking, including second-hand smoke, can show up extremely quickly—within a year or two—in coronary heart disease. Part of the improvements we have been making in the NHS is...

The hon. Gentleman makes an important point, although Sir Liam Donaldson, the chief medical officer, stresses the point that the impact of smoking, including second-hand smoke, can show up extremely quickly—within a year or two—in coronary heart disease. Part of the improvements we have been making in the NHS is...

Of course I will. We have believed in the values of the NHS ever since we created it. The Conservative party now claims to believe in those same values, but we are entitled to look at the Conservatives’ actions, as well as their words. For 18 years, they starved the...

Of course I will. We have believed in the values of the NHS ever since we created it. The Conservative party now claims to believe in those same values, but we are entitled to look at the Conservatives’ actions, as well as their words. For 18 years, they starved the...

But I shall give way to the hon. Gentleman because I have considerable respect for him.

But I shall give way to the hon. Gentleman because I have considerable respect for him.

No, I shall not give way—

No, I shall not give way—

My hon. Friend makes an extremely important point and I hope that it is one on which the Opposition will think again.

My hon. Friend makes an extremely important point and I hope that it is one on which the Opposition will think again.

That was not worth giving way for, I am afraid. As I said a moment ago, we needed that four-hour A and E target to change what was happening in A and E. Now, the 18-week target is mobilising NHS staff in hospitals all around the country to end the...

That was not worth giving way for, I am afraid. As I said a moment ago, we needed that four-hour A and E target to change what was happening in A and E. Now, the 18-week target is mobilising NHS staff in hospitals all around the country to end the...

My hon. Friend makes his point very graphically. That is another real tribute not only to NHS staff and the new cancer networks, but to the target—the promise that we made—that patients diagnosed with cancer would wait a maximum of 62 days between an urgent GP referral and the start...

My hon. Friend makes his point very graphically. That is another real tribute not only to NHS staff and the new cancer networks, but to the target—the promise that we made—that patients diagnosed with cancer would wait a maximum of 62 days between an urgent GP referral and the start...

For the first time ever in the history of the NHS we are now collecting information on how long it takes for a patient to go from GP referral to actual treatment. We have got the waiting times for the first out-patient appointment down, and we have got the waiting...

For the first time ever in the history of the NHS we are now collecting information on how long it takes for a patient to go from GP referral to actual treatment. We have got the waiting times for the first out-patient appointment down, and we have got the waiting...

My hon. Friend is absolutely right. It is one of the many contradictions in the Conservatives’ so-called health policy that they want independence for the NHS, but they oppose every proposal from local NHS staff for a reorganisation of services. Whenever something goes wrong or they want more money for...

My hon. Friend is absolutely right. It is one of the many contradictions in the Conservatives’ so-called health policy that they want independence for the NHS, but they oppose every proposal from local NHS staff for a reorganisation of services. Whenever something goes wrong or they want more money for...

Hospital-acquired infection is a serious issue. We take it very seriously and we were the first Government to require every hospital to record cases of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus and C. difficile and to report that publicly. Therefore, we know the exact nature of the problem and we can hold hospitals...

Hospital-acquired infection is a serious issue. We take it very seriously and we were the first Government to require every hospital to record cases of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus and C. difficile and to report that publicly. Therefore, we know the exact nature of the problem and we can hold hospitals...

Of course I listen to staff. I listened this morning to the midwives at the Royal College of Midwives, who gave me several examples of why we need to do more in terms of maternity services. That is why we worked with the RCM to produce the action plan, ““Maternity...

Of course I listen to staff. I listened this morning to the midwives at the Royal College of Midwives, who gave me several examples of why we need to do more in terms of maternity services. That is why we worked with the RCM to produce the action plan, ““Maternity...

My hon. Friend is absolutely right. Just a couple of weeks ago, I was shown around the brilliant accident and emergency department at St Helens and Knowsley Trust by Graeme Inkster, one of the emergency consultants, who explained to me exactly why we do not have winter bed crises now....

My hon. Friend is absolutely right. Just a couple of weeks ago, I was shown around the brilliant accident and emergency department at St Helens and Knowsley Trust by Graeme Inkster, one of the emergency consultants, who explained to me exactly why we do not have winter bed crises now....