Reid dismisses suggestions of 'nanny state'

Saturday, 20 November 2004 12:00 AM

Measures introduced in the Government's health white paper do not amount to the creation of a nanny state, the Health Secretary John Reid has insisted.

The measures include making personal lifestyle coaches available on the NHS, the creation of a new Health Direct phone line, restricting smoking in public places, and a 'traffic-light' system of labelling food.

Speaking on BBC Radio Four's 'Today' on Saturday, Dr Reid said the measures were all about choice.

"I don't think that anyone who's well enough off to be hiring personal trainers at present would regard themselves as purchasing a nanny at all. Nobody's being forced to take an NHS trainer, or to life the phone to the new Health Direct that we're setting up.

"The whole point of a National Health Service is not to wait until you're dying - it's not a national sickness service. When it was formed 60 years ago we always wanted to start off by prevention on the old adage that prevention is better than cure.

"Because of lack of capacity, huge waiting lists, the waiting time issue that we've always had, we've never actually been in a position to move forward from coping with illness to encouraging prevention."

Only regarding smoking in public places - on which Dr Reid said he had reached a "compromise" between protection and liberty - has a prohibitive measure been put forward.

Dr Reid said: "All of these things are now being offered to people if they want to change their lifestyle.

"Why? Because a lot of people want to change their lifestyle, but they've told us that while they want to make the decision themselves, that they want the Government to give them the advice, information and support that enables them to make that choice if they wish to do so."

Critics have suggested that measures such as restricting smoking in public places are contradicted by moves towards 24-hour drinking and what have been dubbed 'super-casinos'.

Dr Reid said that, on the contrary, common principles of government link all the policies together.

"I believe very firmly, so does the New Labour government, that people get ahead through their own decisions, their own achievements, their own choices - as far as possible people create their own social advance.

"But not everyone works in the same circumstances. Therefore for some people it is harder and some people it is easier.

"Therefore the state has three roles. First of all it is to give people the advice, information and support to enable them to exercise real choices in the real world.

"Secondly it is to arbitrate between rights and responsibilities, to protect people from the irresponsible action of others, whether it be anti-social behaviour, whether it be policing, or whether it be second-hand smoke.

"The third area of legitimate intervention of the state, which does involve a degree of nannying, is the protection of children."

All three principles "run absolutely" through the white paper, he added.

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