Dame Joan Ruddock 
Former MP for Lewisham Deptford
  • Home
  • Latest News
    • Joan in Parliament
    • Early Day Motions
  • About Joan
  • Constituency
    • Local Groups & Organisations
    • Constituency Campaigns
    • Map of the Constituency
    • Constituency Facts & Figures
  • Gallery
  • Contact & Surgeries
    • When to Contact Your MP
    • Tours of Parliament
    • Watch a Debate/PMQs
  • News Archive
  • FAQs
    • Useful Links

Care Bill, Clause 119 & Hospital Closures

12/3/2014

 
Picture
As you may know, clause 119 gives the Health Secretary sweeping powers to force hospital closures over the heads of local communities and I have vehemently opposed it from the beginning.

Before the last debate on the Care Bill took place, Heidi Alexander MP (Lewisham East), Jim Dowd MP (Lewisham West and Penge) and I wrote a letter to all MPs outlining our opposition and experiences of the Trust Special Administrator regime in Lewisham. During the debate on 16th December I raised my deep-seated concerns with both Jeremy Hunt MP, the Secretary of State for Health, and Andy Burnham MP, his opposite number on the Labour benches.

Yesterday we were all in the chamber once more to express our opposition to the clause. You can read our contributions in full here.

I would like to reassure my constituents that the Labour Party remained firmly opposed to this clause and voted against it last night, but we were defeated by 297 votes to 239. Paul Burstow, the Liberal Democrat MP who tabled amendment NC16, withdrew his amendment as he felt the government had proposed changes which addressed his concerns, but Labour’s Jamie Reed pressed it to a vote: 241 MPs voted in favour of NC16 and 288 against.

Although the government has pledged to consult local people and clinical commissioners, we continue to be concerned that these concessions do not go far enough. I am sorry not to be able to report a more positive result. 



Comments are closed.
    Picture
    Petition by iPetitions
    Picture
    Picture

    Archives

    March 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012
    April 2012
    March 2012
    February 2012
    January 2012
    December 2011
    November 2011
    October 2011
    September 2011
    July 2011


    Categories

    All
    Afghanistan
    Animal Welfare
    Arms
    Banks
    Benefits
    Betting Shops
    Boundary Changes
    Budget
    Charity
    Children & Young People
    Children & Young People
    Community Groups
    Convoys Wharf
    Crime
    Culture
    Cuts
    Daylight Savings Bill
    Democracy
    Deptford Station
    Economy
    Education
    Environment
    Equality
    Fire Station Closures
    Health
    High Streets
    Housing
    In Parliament
    International Development
    Labour Party
    Lewisham Deptford
    Lewisham Hospital
    Libraries
    Loan Sharks
    Local Businesses
    Music
    Olympics
    Palestine
    Policing
    Riots
    Surrey Canal Road Station
    Thames Tunnel
    Tidemill
    Transport
    Unemployment
    Warm Front
    Women

    RSS Feed

This website was established while I was the Member of Parliament for Lewisham Deptford. 

All parliamentary copyright images reproduced with the permission of Parliament.