TRANSATLANTIC TRADE AND INVESTMENT PARTNERSHIP AND THE NHS

That this House is extremely concerned about the potential impact on the National Health Service of the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) deal between the EU and the US; notes with concern that the deal would give private companies and investors new rights to sue the Government and the devolved administrations for unlimited sums of money through the investor state dispute settlement (ISDS) mechanism if privatised services are returned to public ownership; is shocked that there will be no right of appeal for decisions made by the ISDS mechanism and that this panel of trade lawyers will meet in private and have the capacity to award unlimited amounts in damages; recognises that this trade deal has the potential to fundamentally undermine the public health service and reconfigure the relationship between the state and private investors; and calls on the Government to clarify its position on this and categorically commit to exempting the NHS from the TTIP deal.