‘Peers with private healthcare links vote for NHS privatisation’
says Unite
2 November 2011
‘Backwoodsmen’ peers with poor voting records, but with strong
links to the private healthcare industry, are supporting the
government’s bid to push through its controversial
‘pro-privatisation’ health bill.
Research by Unite, the UK largest union, has revealed the extent to
which the government is relying on normally non-working peers with
private sector health interests to ram through the Health and
Social Care bill.
The research comes as the House of Lords discusses the bill in
its committee stage today (Wednesday 2 November).
Unite national officer for health Rachael Maskell said: ”It is a
indelible stain on parliamentary democracy that, while the vast
majority of the electorate don’t want their NHS privatised, a cabal
of unelected peers, riddled with vested financial self-interest,
can be mobilised to thwart the wishes of voters.
”It is clear that democracy is being hijacked for the financial
benefit of the private healthcare companies, many of whom have made
large contributions to the Tory party since David Cameron became
its leader in 2005.
”Shirley Williams has said that it’s wrong to play politics with
the NHS - but here is stark evidence to the contrary. Now is
the time for Lady Williams and her fellow Liberal Democrat and
cross-bench peers to reinforce the independence of the House of
Lords and show the country that the peers are not in the pockets of
big business.“
The second reading of the bill saw a record turnout for the
modern House of Lords, with the largest numbers of peers voting
since the 1993 Maastricht Treaty debate.
But an examination of the division lists shows that many of those
who turned up to vote through the bill worked for companies that
stand to directly benefit financially from the bill or work as
lobbyists, and do not routinely attend House of Lords votes.
The so-called ‘backwoodsmen’ - Tory peers, often hereditary, who do
not normally attend parliament but can be turned out occasionally
to pass controversial legislation, such as the poll tax - were
historically criticised as one of the most unacceptable features of
the unelected upper chamber.
The passage of the bill suggests that the government is now
resorting to Thatcher's old tactics again - but with big business
interests also playing a role.
Criticism will be fuelled by the revelation that the peers
identified did not stay to vote on the Localism bill, which was
debated immediately after the health bill and voted on before
6.00pm on the same day.
The following Lords were highlighted by the investigation:
- Baroness Bottomley of Nettlestone, the former Tory health
secretary and now a director of BUPA, has an attendance rate of
just 20 per cent since 2005 and has voted on less than half the
Lords’ voting days this year. She has, however, turned up for every
day of the health bill.
- Baroness Cumberlege of Newick is another former Tory health
minister who runs her own lobbying firm, Cumberlege Connections,
which works ‘extensively’ with major pharmaceuticals interests. She
has recorded votes on just 22 days this year, but has voted in
every division on the Health and Social Care bill.
- Notorious tax avoider and billionaire Tory bankroller Lord
Ashcroft ‘of Belize’ has had investments in, at least, two private
healthcare groups. His business interests have led to an attendance
rate of just 16 per cent and he voted on less than a quarter of
voting days this year, but did make a rare appearance to help ram
through the privatisation of the NHS.
- Tim Bell, the founder of Saatchi & Saatchi and Tory
advertising guru and now Lord Bell, is another businessman whose
appearances in the Lords are rare. He has attended only a fifth of
voting days this year. But as chairman of Chime Communications,
which owns lobbying firms such as Bell Pottinger, he represents
health companies including BT Health, pharma giant AstraZeneca, and
the now-infamous Southern Cross, and he voted to pass the Tories’
health bill.
- Lord Chadlington is another Tory peer who appears to make his
money in the lobbying industry, and his work as chief executive of
the Huntworth communications group has kept him away from most
votes in the Lords this year, but again he voted for the health
bill.
- Lord Coe is a Tory grandee with one of the worst attendance
records in parliament, at less than 10 per cent, and his name
appears on the division list on only five days this year, but the
government relied on him to get the bill through its second
reading. He is a director of AMT-Sybex Group, which is the IT
supplier to the NHS, and IT is one of many areas that the bill
could lead to lucrative new opportunities for health
contractors.
All of these peers attended only for the two mid-afternoon votes on
the health bill, leaving before a subsequent division on the
Localism bill at 5.50pm that afternoon.
They are not, however, the only Lords whose behaviour will raise
eyebrows.
For example, former Tory leader Michael Howard, now Lord Howard of
Lympne, is another Tory grandee whose attendance is occasional. He
has a 35.1% voting rate and has appeared on less than half of
voting days this year, but despite missing the second reading of
the health bill did turn up for the first day of committee stage.
He is a senior adviser to Hawkpoint Partners, a corporate finance
firm.
Cross-bench peer Lord Ballyedmond also voted with the Tories,
appearing for the day, despite an attendance record of only 12.5%
since 2004, and well under half of all voting days this year. He is
the chairman of Norbrook Laboratories, a major global
pharmaceuticals corporation.
Source for attendance data: www.publicwhip.org.uk
ENDS
Notes to news editors:
For further information please contact Unite communications
officer Shaun Noble on 07768 693940
