Clegg challenges Lansley over role of NHS regulator
The deputy prime minister Nick Clegg has opposed the notion that Monitor, the NHS regulator, should be used to promote competition in the service, claiming rather that it should help the needs of patients. The comments, which directly oppose Andrew Lansley's hopes to introduce competition into the NHS, come as Clegg promised to reassert the strength of the Liberal Democrats in the coalition, following the party's thrashing in the recent local elections. While his comments have been welcomed by many, others have considered his move a desperate attempt to save his leadership of the party. As Conservative MP Peter Bone said: "If our health service is being held back for party political reasons to shore up Nick Clegg's leadership of the Liberal party then that's an absolute disgrace."
Benefit cap for unemployed survives committee vote
The government's plans to put a cap on the amount of benefits an unemployed household can receive has passed a vote by the MPs responsible for scrutinising the welfare reform bill. The bill will ensure an unemployed household will be able to claim a maximum £26,000 in benefits for families and £18,000 for a single person. Amendments to the bill, including an attempt to remove housing and child benefits from the limit, were dismissed. Labour MP Kate Green warned, "there will be some dislocation of families".
Private sector will get bulk of procurement
Paul Pindar, the chief executive of Capita, has claimed that third- sector enterprises are simply too small to cope with the size of public-sector outsourcing, especially if it were to go wrong. Speaking in reference to two travel contracts, worth £2.6bn, Pindar claimed, "There is absolutely no way on the planet that that is going to be let to a charity. And it can't get let to a small or medium-sized enterprise." Pindar said that he had been reassured by Francis Maude, the Cabinet Office minister, "behind closed doors" that the private sector will still play a large role in providing public services, despite the government's current focus on "big society". Indeed, when the government revealed their 40 preferred for welfare-to-work projects, 38 were from the private sector.
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