Member

As for the reason we are bringing this forward, we know that information standards are not new. Legal powers to publish information standards were set out in Section 250 of the Health and Social Care Act 2012. However, these standards were not mandatory; providers have had to have regard to them. Under the 2012 Act, there was no regulatory requirement that set the procedure to be followed when preparing and publishing an information standard. As such, existing standards have not undergone a standardised approach in their preparation or review. This inconsistency has contributed to low compliance with information standards by making it sometimes unclear for health and adult social care providers to understand what they are being asked to do. Making regulations on procedures for preparing and publishing information standards is an integral part of a wider set of measures that are intended to improve the entire information standards framework. I hope the noble Lord will agree that advance information and preparation for the work that needs to be done is entirely appropriate.