Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 4:05 pm on 14 February 2023.
I don't trust the motives of the Conservative Government for wanting to do that, and there will be issues of principle leading me through this process. The fundamental principle is that I don't want to see this as a means for the private sector to lay down deeper roots within the provision of health services in Wales, and to be able to set those roots far more easily than they would have been able to do in the past. So, I would like to hear from the Minister on the record that she shares those concerns.
It is a concern of mine that there is an expedited process for scrutiny of this. Because I want to be pragmatic and to understand exactly what's at stake here, it's a cause of concern that that scrutiny period is shorter than it perhaps should be. So, what confidence can the Minister give me that the period, even if it is shorter than usual, will allow the same depth of scrutiny? Because we do need to be entirely clear that we look at all of the possible implications here. I will be pragmatic, as I've said, but those concerns do mean that the scrutiny is extremely important. I know that other Members on these benches share my concerns, and I would welcome the Minister's comments on her concerns.
One specific question that I have asked previously, and I just wanted to know if there are any early findings coming from the work done by Government here: procurement in a more streamlined way would make it easier to give contracts to the third sector, not just to the private sector. I have wondered whether we can differentiate between third sector and private-sector provision within this legislation. I would appreciate an update on any work that is been being done on that possibility.