‘Health Secretary Andrew Lansley is deceiving the public about the true adverse impact of his health bill,’ Unite leader Len McCluskey insisted yesterday, as a two-day tribunal opened on whether the ‘risk register’ on the bill’s implications should be made public.
The Tory-LibDem coalition is appealing against the Information Commissioner’s decision to uphold Freedom of Information (FoI) requests and order publication of the register.
The register was drawn up to calculate the risks relating to the implementation of the bill.
Unite General Secretary McCluskey said: ‘Andrew Lansley is deceiving the public about the true implications of the Health and Social Care bill by his dogged refusal to publish the risk register.
‘The government’s refusal to publish the register points to a recognition that its reforms will risk patient care and cost millions to implement – taxpayers’ money which should be spent on patient care.
‘What has the government got to hide?
‘We cannot stand by and let this 64-year-old achievement be dismantled under a cloak of secrecy.’
Last November the Information Commissioner ruled that the government had been wrong to refuse FoI requests that the documents be published because ‘the public interest in maintaining the exemption does not outweigh the public interest in disclosure’.
The government appealed against the ruling and the case is now being considered by the Information Tribunal.
If it loses, the government has made it known that it could choose to take the case to the High Court.
Una O’Brien, Department of Health Permanent Secretary, appeared before the tribunal yesterday and claimed that publication of the documents would be ‘insidious’.
She claimed: ‘Out of context I think my own judgement is they would lead to a very distorted and very speculative interpretation of risk.’
O’Brien claimed: ‘The purpose of these registers at this level is really to think the unthinkable. It’s really to draw out the range of things that could possibly happen or that might go wrong.
‘We deliberately encourage colleagues to express themselves in relation to these risks in a very forthright way and to be very specific, to grab attention.’
BMA Council Member Anna Athow commented: ‘If civil servants are allowed to “express themselves in a very forthright way” in giving advice to ministers on the bill’s risk register, then why cannot this same advice be seen by NHS patients and staff, and even the decision-makers in the House of Lords and Parliament?
‘It is obvious that this government has cold-bloodedly decided to hide the devastating effects of the Health Bill.
‘The TUC’s day of Action on Wednesday must become a huge event.
‘London’s BMA is calling on doctors, NHS staff and the public to join them in marching from BMA House at 5pm down to the 6pm Westminster Rally.
‘The trade unions need to organise joint industrial action to force this government to resign and save our NHS.’
