56. The Opposition parties have not made a consistent case for reform in their responses to the Government.
57. For example, in two statements, David Cameron, the Leader of the Opposition, has called on the Prime Minister to prevent any hospital closures or service reductions.36 In a Reform publication, Professor Nick Bosanquet et al have previously argued that the current proposals for hospital closures are unlikely to be justifiable in all cases since there are huge risks in conflating "reconfiguration" and short term crisis management of deficits.37 But equally there is no doubt that patients will benefit in many cases if services are moved from hospital to primary care. A moratorium on changes of this kind will prevent much-needed innovation and efficiency.
58. Both Opposition parties have indicated support for higher spending in certain policy areas:
- In its recent consultation document on welfare reform, the Conservative Party gave 44 options for welfare reform. Of these, 21 involved a spending commitment and only one involved a spending reduction;38 and
- The Liberal Democrats have advocated even higher taxpayer funding on higher education.39 The Liberal Democrats have also published a tax-neutral series of proposals which would seek to reduce tax rates at the medium and lower end of incomes and increase green taxes and income tax payments by very rich people.40
59. More positively:
- both parties have questioned the increase of central regulation over city academies;41
- the Conservative Party has highlighted the weaknesses in the Government's skills agenda; 42 and
- the Conservative Party has launched a review of prisons policy which seeks to follow the best evidence on prisons capacity, regimes and rehabilitation.43
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36 Cameron, D. (2007), Hansard, 10 July, col. 1438. "Will the Prime Minister confirm that no hospital closures or service reductions will take place until that review is completed?" Cameron, D. (2007), Hansard, 10 July, col. 1453. " Secondly, will he announce a moratorium on A and E and maternity unit closures, and an end to the top-down targets that are leading to NHS cuts?"
37 Bosanquet, N. et al, (2007), NHS reform - the empire strikes back, Reform.
38 Conservative Party (2007), Breakdown Britain: a guide to our broken society and how to fix it.
39 Teather, S. (2007), Hansard, 5 July, col. 1114. "I must remind him that we were vehemently opposed to the introduction of those fees in the first place. Similarly, does he have any plans to extend maintenance loans to students studying courses in further education colleges?" Williams, S. (2007), Hansard, 18 July, col. 302. "In his first statement in his new role, the Secretary of State announced £400 million of additional support for students in higher education. What additional support are the Government pledging for level 3 provision?"
40 Liberal Democrat Tax Working Group (2007), Reducing the Burden.
41 Laws, D. (2007), Hansard, 10 July, col. 1328. Gove, M. (2007), Hansard, 10 July, col. 1325.
42 Willetts, D. (2007), Hansard, 18 July, col. 300. "If the Secretary of State had stood at the Dispatch Box and said that central planning had not worked, and that he was genuinely shifting to a demand-led, employer-driven system, we could have supported him, but sadly his statement today does not rise to that challenge."
43 Cameron, D. (2007), "This prisons fiasco is taking a liberty", The Daily Telegraph, 22 July 2007.