COMMITTEE FOR HEALTH, SOCIAL SERVICES AND PUBLIC SAFETY
MINUTES OF PROCEEDINGS
Thursday 7 January 2010
Room 30, Parliament Buildings
Present:
Mr Jim Wells MLA (Chairperson)
Dr Kieran Deeny MLA
Mr Alex Easton MLA
Mr Sam Gardiner MLA
Mrs Dolores Kelly MLA
Mr John McCallister MLA
Ms Sue Ramsey MLA
In Attendance:
Mrs Stella McArdle (Clerk)
Mr Mark McQuade (Assistant Clerk)
Mr Neil Sedgewick (Clerical Supervisor)
Mr Joe Westland (Clerical Supervisor)
Mr David Irvine (Clerical Officer)
Mrs Jessica Golden-Alexander (Clerical Officer)
Apologies:
Mrs Carmel Hanna MLA
Mrs Claire McGill MLA
Mrs Michelle O’Neill MLA (Deputy Chairperson)
The meeting commenced at 2.01 pm in public session .
1. Apologies
Apologies as above.
2. Chairperson’s Business
The Chairperson reminded members that the Committee had agreed to host a meal for the Committee for Health & Children from the Irish Parliament on Monday 11 th January 2010.
3. Draft Minutes of the Meetings held on 10 December 2009.
The minutes of the meeting held on 10 December 2009 were agreed.
4. Matters arising.
The Committee noted a letter from the Minister about Trust contingency plans. Members noted that revised departmental expenditure plans were expected and agreed to consider the impact of these before taking any further action. The Committee also agreed to take evidence from the Department, the Health and Social Care Board and Trade Union Representatives on Thursday 28 th January.
The Committee noted a response from the Minister about unannounced visits by the Committee to hospitals and other healthcare facilities.
The Committee noted a response from the Minister about research carried out by the Department about the supply of prescription drugs.
The Committee noted a response from the Minister about the implementation of the Review of Support Provision for Carers and agreed to invite the Carers Association to an informal meeting with the Committee.
The Committee noted responses from the Minister and the Belfast Trust about plans to merge wards at Knockbracken Healthcare Park and agreed to copy the responses to Dawn Purvis MLA who raised the issue with the Committee.
The Committee noted a response from the Minister about the process for granting Pharmaceutical licences.
The Committee noted a response from the Minister about the listeria outbreak in hospitals in the Belfast Trust and agreed to write to the Trust for further information
The Committee noted a response from the Minister about the debts incurred by the legacy trusts and agreed to write to the Trusts regarding this matter.
The Committee noted a response from the Minister about information held centrally by the Department and agreed to copy this to Mr Simon Hamilton MLA who raised this issue with the Committee.
The Committee noted a copy of a response from the Minister to the Education Committee about the report ‘A Flourishing Society’.
The Committee noted a response from the Minister about notifying the Committee of Departmental announcements.
The Committee noted a response from the Minister about funding for specialist nurses for Inflammatory Bowel Disease.
The Committee noted a response from the Minister about the Dioxin incident review and agreed to copy this to the Committee for Agriculture and Rural Development.
The Committee noted a response from the Minister about the grading under Agenda for Change and agreed to copy the response to Marion Ritchie at Unison who raised the issue with the Committee.
The Committee noted a response from the Minister about the timescale for the adoption process and agreed to write to the Department and each Trust for further information.
The Committee noted a response from the Minister about waiting times at Altnagelvin hospital and agreed to write to the Western Health & Social Care Trust regarding this matter.
The Committee noted a letter from the Minister regarding the public consultation on tobacco control legislation and supported the timescale for removal of tobacco displays and vending machines.
The Committee noted a response from the Minister about Social Service provision in Northern Ireland.
The Committee noted a response from the Belfast Trust about taxi costs and the reduction in the number of porters employed by the Trust and agreed to write to the Trust for further information.
The Committee noted a response from the Belfast Trust providing an explanation about measures put in place to ensure infection control and environmental cleanliness and agreed to copy this to Mr Bond who raised this issue with the Committee.
The Committee noted responses from the Belfast Trust about performance related pay in the Trust and walkabouts carried out by senior managers. The Committee agreed to ask the Department for their efficiency plans and to write to each trust regarding performance related pay.
The Committee noted responses from the Belfast Trust, the Northern Trust, the Western Trust and the Southern Trust about physiotherapy services for Multiple Sclerosis sufferers and agreed to defer consideration of this item until all responses have been received.
The Committee noted responses from the Belfast Trust, the Northern Trust the South Eastern Trust and the Western Trust about providing appointment information in different formats for people with visual impairment and agreed to defer consideration of this item until all responses have been received.
The Committee noted responses from the Northern Trust, the South Eastern Trust and Southern Trust about services for young people with cerebral palsy who may require institutional care and agreed to defer consideration of this item until all responses have been received.
The Committee noted a copy of a response from the South Eastern Trust to regarding parking at the Ulster Hospital.
The Committee noted a response from the Southern Trust about effect of budget allocations for swine flu and agreed to write to the Department regarding the cost of treating Swine Flu.
The Committee noted a response from the RQIA providing a copy of the audit toolkit used by the RQIA in its unannounced infection prevention / hygiene inspections.
The Committee noted a response from the RQIA about patient nutrition in private care homes.
The Committee noted a response from the Northern Ireland Hospice about impact of efficiency savings on cancer services. Members agreed to write to the Minister about the screening programme for bowel cancer.
The Committee noted the report of the Examiner of Statutory Rules.
2.08 p.m. Mrs Dolores Kelly joined the meeting.
2.21 p.m. Mr John McCallisterjoined the meeting.
5. Committee motion calling for an inquiry into the McElhill / McGovern tragedy in Omagh.
The Committee agreed a motion calling for a public inquiry into the McElhill / McGovern tragedy in Omagh.
The Committee agreed to write to the Department regarding funding to deal with health issues arising in the Lammy area as a result of this tragedy.
6. Departmental briefing on Sustainable Development
The Committee took evidence from
Mr John Cole Deputy Secretary, Chief Estates Officer & Sustainable Development Champion, DHSSPS
Mr Andrew Elliott Population Health Directorate, DHSSPS
Mr Brian Godfrey Head of Sustainability & Specialist Engineering Branch, DHSSPS
A question and answer session ensued. The Chairperson thanked the witnesses for attending.
3.21 p.m. Ms Sue Ramsey left the meeting.
3.46 p.m. Ms Sue Ramsey rejoined the meeting.
7. Statutory Rule. SR 2009/389 the Misuse of Drugs (Designation) (Amendment) Order (NI) 2009
The Committee considered SR 2009/389 the Misuse of Drugs (Designation) (Amendment) Order (NI) 2009 and had no objection to the Rule subject to the Examiner of Statutory Rules being content with the technical aspects of the Rule.
8. Statutory Rule. SR 2009/390 the Misuse of Drugs (Amendment) Regulations (NI) 2009 & Statutory Rule SR 2009/397 the Misuse of Drugs (Amendment no 2) Regulations (NI) 2009
The Committee considered SR 2009/390 the Misuse of Drugs (Amendment) Regulations (NI) 2009 and had no objection to the Rule subject to the Examiner of Statutory Rules being content with the technical aspects of the Rule.
The Committee considered SR 2009/397 the Misuse of Drugs (Amendment no 2) Regulations (NI) 2009 and had no objection to the Rule subject to the Examiner of Statutory Rules being content with the technical aspects of the Rule.
9. Statutory Rule. SR 2009/395 the Local Commissioning Groups (Membership) Regulations ( Northern Ireland) 2009
The Committee considered SR 2009/395 the Local Commissioning Groups (Membership) Regulations ( Northern Ireland) 2009 and had no objection to the Rule subject to the Examiner of Statutory Rules being content with the technical aspects of the Rule.
10. Statutory Rule. SR 2009/398 the Food for Particular Nutritional Uses (Addition of Substances for Specific Nutritional Purposes) Regulations ( Northern Ireland) 2010
The Committee considered SR 2009/398 the Food for Particular Nutritional Uses (Addition of Substances for Specific Nutritional Purposes) Regulations ( Northern Ireland) 2010 and had no objection to the Rule subject to the Examiner of Statutory Rules being content with the technical aspects of the Rule.
11. Statutory Rule. SR 2009/407 the Food Supplements and Addition of Vitamins, Minerals and Other Substances (Amendment) Regulations (NI) 2009
The Committee considered SR 2009/407 the Food Supplements and Addition of Vitamins, Minerals and Other Substances (Amendment) Regulations (NI) 2009 and had no objection to the Rule subject to the Examiner of Statutory Rules being content with the technical aspects of the Rule.
4.35 p.m. Dr Kieran Deeny left the meeting.
12. Proposed Statutory Rule
The Committee were briefed by Mr Robert Kirkwood and Ms Andrea Begley from the Department on the Health and Personal Social Services (Reimbursement of EEA Treatment) Regulations (NI) 2009. The Committee agreed to write to the Department to request that an Equality Impact Assessment is carried out for this statutory rule
The Committee considered the Health and Personal Social Services (Reimbursement of EEA Treatment) Regulations (NI) 2009 and agreed that the Department should proceed to prepare this Statutory Rule.
13. Correspondence.
The Committee noted a consultation document: Palliative and End of Life Care Strategy for Northern Ireland.
The Committee noted correspondence from Moyle District Council regarding X-Ray services in Dalriada Hospital, Ballycastle.
The Committee noted a copy of correspondence from the British Dental Association to the Chief Executive of the Business Services Organisation (BSO) regarding information provided by the BSO in response to a Freedom of Information request in respect of the gross health service fees for treating patients and an apology from the BSO for errors in the information issued.
The Committee noted correspondence from the British Medical Association regarding negotiations to deliver the H1N1 vaccination programme for children aged under five broke
The Committee noted a consultation from the Department regarding strengthening sanctions against retailers for underage sales of tobacco products.
The Committee noted a consultation from the Department regarding an Oxycodone Import Policy.
The Committee noted correspondence from the Regional Development Committee seeking submissions on ‘Ensuring an Accessible Transport System in Northern Ireland’ and agreed toforward a list of disability groups to the Regional Development Committee and ask if it had consulted with them.
The Committee noted the Annual Report and Financial Statements 2008 for the Centre for Autism ( Middletown).
The Committee noted an invitation to a Maternal Drug and Alcohol Conference hosted by the National Organisation for Foetal Alcohol Syndrome UK.
The Committee noted a weekly update from the Department on swine flu.
14. Any other business
No other business was discussed.
4.54 p.m. The Committee moved to closed session.
15. Committee discussion on autism
The Committee agreed to write to the Department for Education about an outstanding response regarding proposed autism legislation. The Committee deferred consideration of proposed autism legislation until a future meeting.
16. Date, time and place of the next meeting
The next meeting of the Committee will take place on Thursday, 14 th January 2010 at 2.00pm in Room 30 , Parliament Buildings.
The Chairperson adjourned the meeting at 5.02 p.m.