UNISON has condemned another “broken promise” today, after the government refused to honour an epetition calling for a House of Commons debate on the NHS.
The union helped acquire a staggering 160,000 signatures for the epetition calling for the government to drop its controversial health and social care bill – making it the best supported epetition since their introduction, and with far more than the 100,000 signatures supposedly needed to earn a debate by MPs.
But the backbench committee has this week declined to find time for such a debate.
“This is another broken promise from the Tory-led government, which had proclaimed that if 100,000 people signed the petition they would be able to have a debate on the NHS,” said UNISON’s head of health Christina McAnea.
“They have broken promises on the NHS, they have broken promises on tuition fees, they have broken their promise over these petitions. How can we believe anything they say any more?”
The coalition launched its epetition website last July, with the undertaking by the Leader of the House that he would send to the backbench business committee any petition signed by 100,000 people, asking the committee to consider finding time for a debate on it.
Ms McAnea said that UNISON was encouraging even more people to sign the petition, “to demonstrate the real depth of anger around this.”