Johnson puts NHS at heart of his agenda
BORIS JOHNSON will put the NHS at the heart of his domestic agenda as he sets out his programme for government in the Queen’s Speech today.
In a statement of intent to the nation, the Prime Minister will enshrine in law a £33.9billion increase in annual NHS spending by 2023-24 as soon as MPS have voted through his Brexit Bill.
The package of legislation to boost the NHS will include an independent body to improve patient safety, more doctors and nurses, and the abolition of hospital car parking charges for those in greatest need.
At a Downing Street reception for nurses yesterday, Mr Johnson described the NHS as “the single greatest institution in this country” and promised “the biggest investment in the NHS in living memory”.
Brexit remains the centrepiece of the Queen’s Speech, with the EU Withdrawal Agreement Bill published today. It has been beefed up from the version voted on in parliament before the election and will guarantee Britain fully leaves the EU – with or without a trade deal – by the end of 2020.
Tomorrow MPS will vote on the Bill, making it the first legislation to be passed by the new parliament. The first domestic law to make it on to the statute books will be the NHS Funding Bill.
Jeremy Corbyn used the Conservatives’ stewardship of the health service as his key line of attack during the general election campaign, and Mr Johnson
is determined that by the next election the public will see the Tories as the party to trust on the NHS.
He also sees it as his personal duty to increase NHS funding after promoting it as a key financial benefit of leaving the EU during the referendum campaign.
The Queen’s Speech will also increase per-pupil funding for schools, commit to “transformational” infrastructure funding, keep terrorists and violent offenders in jail for longer and make it easier for police to stop and search known knife carriers.
Tech giants face new regulators to prevent them monopolising the market and to protect children from online harms, as well as a 2 per cent tax to ensure a “fairer contribution”.
The Daily Telegraph also understands the speech will contain a law to ensure victims of violent and sexual offences are automatically updated on the potential release of offenders, their progress in jail and measures to protect the public. An option being considered would be annual updates to victims including the offender’s category of prison and their participation in rehabilitation schemes.
The present scheme for keeping victims of violent, sexual or terrorist offences informed is voluntary but Robert Buckland, the Justice Secretary, wants to make it an opt-out system, meaning all victims will benefit unless they choose not to join.
The move aims to prevent scandals emerging where victims’ families have been left in the dark only to subsequently discover that the offender has
been released. Campaigners say fewer than half of the 80,000 victims or their families choose to participate, often because they are so distressed in the aftermath of a trial.
Dame Vera Baird, the Victims’ Commissioner, said families were often too “hurt” to contemplate making a decision to opt in, even though they might come to regret it later.
“This can result in huge distress to victims, for instance if they first find out their offender is living in the community when they see them walking down the street,” she said. “Therefore, I very much welcome [the opt-out] plans.”
Martin Jones, the Parole Board chief executive, has backed a Canadian-style opt-out model: “In my experience many of the problems stem from the fact that victims are not aware of their rights, and in the immediate aftermath of a trial do not sign up to the scheme.
“They are therefore surprised and disappointed to hear that a person who had received a life sentence is being considered for release after they have served the requisite period.”
Harry Fletcher, director of the Victims’ Rights Campaign, said: “It will cost money but it is well worthwhile because it puts victims at the centre of the parole system rather than the periphery.”
Victims in the scheme receive updates on planned parole hearings, can request licence conditions and challenge a parole board decision.
As well as guaranteeing £33.9 billion per year extra for the health service by the time of the next election, the Government will introduce maintenance grants of £5,000 per year for nursing, midwifery and allied health students, to help deliver a 50,000 net increase in the number of nurses.
It will also promise 40 new hospitals over the next 10 years, £1billion extra per year for social care, and a commitment to finding a cross-party solution to paying for social care in the long term. The Mental Health Act will also be modernised and reformed to give people greater influence on the type of care they receive.