Committee for Health, Social Services and Public Safety

End of Session Report 2010/2011

The Committee for Health, Social Services and Public Safety is a Statutory Departmental Committee established in accordance with paragraphs 8 and 9 of the Belfast Agreement, section 29 of the Northern Ireland Act 1998 and under Standing Order 48.

The Committee has power to:

• Consider and advise on Departmental budgets and annual plans in the context of the overall budget allocation;
• Consider relevant secondary legislation and take the Committee stage of primary legislation;
• Call for persons and papers;
• Initiate inquires and make reports; and
• Consider and advise on any matters brought to the Committee by the Minister for Health, Social Services and Public Safety.

The Committee has 11 members including a Chairperson and Deputy Chairperson and a quorum of 5.

With effect from 13 September 2010 Mr Paul Girvan replaced Mr Thomas Buchanan.
With effect from 13 September 2010 Mr Mickey Brady replaced Mrs Claire McGill.
With effect from 22 November 2010 Mr Pól Callaghan replaced Mrs Mary Bradley.

Meetings

Between September 2010 and March 2011 the Committee for Health, Social Services and Public Safety held 28 meetings.

One of these meetings was held outside Parliament Buildings:

• A meeting at the Craigavon Area Hospital as part of a visit to the hospital on 25 November 2010.
• The Committee also visited Lifeline Headquarters in Belfast on 24 February 2011.

Committee members receive a tour of the new Trauma and Orthopaedic Unit at Craigavon Area Hospital.

The Committee held 2 concurrent meetings with the Committee for Justice to take evidence from the Minister for Health, Social Services and Public Safety and the Minister for Justice regarding the implications of the McDermott case.

The Committee went into closed session during 3 of its meetings when it was considering legal advice on various matters.

Primary Legislation

The Committee completed the committee stages of:

• The Sunbeds Bill NIA 18/09 – As a result of Committee scrutiny, the Department agreed to make amendments to 12 of the clauses in the Bill. The key amendments will result in better enforcement of the legislation in terms of preventing under 18s using sunbeds, more detailed information being provided on the health risks of sunbeds for users, and increased fines for those who contravene the legislation.
• The Safeguarding Board Bill NIA 25/09 – As a result of Committee scrutiny, the Department agreed to make amendments to 10 of the clauses in the Bill. The key amendments will ensure that the Safeguarding Board must consult with children and young people and that the Department has no power to veto reports produced by the Safeguarding Board. In addition, as a result of evidence obtained by the Committee, the Minister agreed to significantly increase the salary for the Chair of the Safeguarding Board, hence improving the chances of attracting a person of suitable calibre and experience to this essential role.
• The Autism Bill NIA 2/10 - As a result of Committee scrutiny, the Sponsor of the Bill Mr Dominic Bradley, agreed to make two important amendments to the Bill. The first amendment concerns the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 and will ensure that it remains all-encompassing. The second amendment will result in financial savings being made in relation to potential costs associated with training civil servants on autism awareness.

The Committee also considered and gave approval to the Department to make legislative consent motions on two Westminster Bills – the Health and Social Care Bill and the Protection of Freedoms Bill.

Subordinate legislation

The Committee considered and approved 33 statutory rules.

The Committee was alerted to concerns regarding the Regulation and Improvement Authority (Independent Health Care) (Fees and Frequency of Inspection) (Amendment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2010. As a result the Committee took evidence on the issues from the British Dental Association (BDA) and the Department and persuaded both parties to meet again and attempt to resolve the key areas of disagreement. Subsequently the BDA and the Department advised the Committee that they had met and had come to a level of understanding that would allow the Rule to proceed.

Budget Scrutiny

The Committee took evidence on the draft Budget 2011-2015 from the Minister and Departmental officials on four occasions between September 2010 and January 2011. In addition the Committee invited two experts in the field of health economics - Professor Charles Normand and Professor Ciaran O’Neill – to brief it on the draft Budget (18 January 2011). The experts assisted the Committee in identifying potential gaps in the Department’s rationale in terms of its costings, as well as pointing out areas of potential efficiencies. The Committee also considered four research papers covering issues such as the budget settlement for DHSSPS as compared to other parts of the UK, historic spending by the DHSSPS and potential cost-saving innovations.

The Committee agreed its response to the draft Budget 2011-2015 at its meeting on the 27 January 2011. The Committee recommended that the Department continues to attempt to make efficiency savings in areas such as management costs, consultants’ bonuses and purchasing/prescribing of drugs. It also urged the Department to spend more on preventative health measures.

Policy Scrutiny

The Committee took evidence on the following policy areas:

• Management costs and salaries within the Health and Social Care (HSC) Trusts – as a result of the Committee’s scrutiny the HSC Board has advised that it will ensure that Trusts apply a uniform approach in terms of how they classify various types of management costs
• Consultation arrangements when HSC Trusts modernise/re-organise services – this was a result of Committee concerns regarding neurology services and Cystic Fibrosis services

Performance Scrutiny

The Committee examined the performance of the Department in relation to a number of issues of significant public interest:

• In September 2010 the Committee held two concurrent meetings with the Committee for Justice regarding the McDermott case. The Joint Committee explored the role of the Western HSC Trust in terms of its handling of the case, as well as the actions taken by the NI Courts Service. Following the Joint Committee’s scrutiny of the issue, the Minister for Health, Social Services and Public Safety agreed to ask the Regulatory and Quality Improvement Authority (RQIA) to undertake a review of the matter from a health and social services aspect, while the Minister of Justice agreed to ask the Criminal Justice Inspectorate to undertake a review of the matters falling under his Department’s remit.
• A report on governance arrangements in the Western Trust by the HSC Board. They key issue of concern related to a back-log of unreported x-rays at Altnagelvin hospital which resulted in some patients receiving a delayed cancer diagnosis. The Committee also took evidence from the Belfast and Southern Trusts on the reporting of x-rays. As a result, the Minister has commissioned the RQIA to undertake a review of radiology services in Northern Ireland
• The regional oral medicine service – concerns regarding delays in diagnosis. As a result, the Minister announced an independent inquiry into the matter.

Engagement - Informal meetings/events

The Committee has sought to find ways to allow more groups, who would otherwise not get the opportunity to meet the Committee, to put forward their views. It therefore held nine informal lunchtime meetings.

The Committee has also held two functions in the Long Gallery for health related groups. At these a total of 25 groups were able to meet members of the Committee and speak to them about issues and concerns.

Chair of the Committee (Mr Jim Wells MLA) welcomes groups to the informal reception held in the Long Gallery

Committee motions

The Committee put forward the following motion which was debated in the Assembly:

• A call for the Minister for Health, Social Services and Public Safety to fund Hospice Services in line with the funding provided by the Scottish Government. The motion was approved by the Assembly.