Present:
Dr J Hendron (Chairman)
Mr P Berry
Rev R Coulter
Mr T Gallagher (Deputy Chairman)
Ms C Hanna
Mr J Kelly
Mr A McFarland
Ms M McWilliams
Ms S Ramsey
Mrs I Robinson

Apologies:
Ms P Armitage

In Attendance:
Mr G Martin (Committee Clerk)
Mr D Harkin (Assistant Clerk)
Mrs V Artt (Executive Support)
Mrs K McFerran (Administrative Support)

Dr Hendron took the Chair at 2:07 pm.

1. The Chairman advised the Committee of a function scheduled for that evening in the Long Gallery, organised by the Royal College of Nursing managers in Northern Ireland, which members were welcome to attend.

2. He drew members' attention to a letter he had received highlighting concern about the placement of two young female abuse victims in an adult psychiatric ward at Knockbracken HealthCare Park, which may itself, at any time, contain perpetrators of abuse and/or paedophiles.

2. Minutes of the Last Meeting

The minutes of the last meeting were agreed. However, a query was raised on the annex to the minutes in relation to the Department's answer to a question about efficiency savings. The Clerk will write to the Department for confirmation of the accurate figures.

3. Matters Arising

1. Agreed: The Clerk will make arrangements for the Committee to visit the new Causeway Hospital on Wednesday, 14 March, where it will also hold its regular weekly meeting.

2. Agreed: The Clerk will make arrangements for the Committee to visit Bangor Community Hospital on Wednesday, 21 February between 12:00 pm and 13:00 pm.

Ms Ramsey left the meeting at 2:25 pm.
Rev R Coulter joined the meeting at 2:30 pm.

4. Subordinate Legislation

1. Food Standards Agency Officials: Mr Tom Robinson
   Mr Trevor Williamson

The Chairman welcomed the above Officials from the Food Standards Agency to the meeting at 2:26 pm, after which they briefed the Committee on the background to and implications of a proposed Statutory Rule (SR) that will provide for the annual licensing of retail butchers shops; staff training in compliance with food hygiene legislation; and District Council administration and enforcement of the scheme.

Agreed: The Committee was content with the Department's proposal for the following Statutory Rule: Food Safety (General Food Hygiene) (Amendment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2001.

2. Question put and agreed to:

   That the Health, Social Services and Public Safety Committee has considered SR No.402 Plastic Materials and Articles in Contact with Food (Amendment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2000 and SR No.2 General Dental Services (Amendment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2001, and has no objections to the Rules.

   The Clerk will advise the Business Office immediately of the Committee's decision for inclusion in its Minutes of Proceedings.

Public Session

5. Presentation by BMA General Practitioners' Committee (NI)

Panel Members:
Dr Brian Patterson
Dr Brian Dunn
Dr Jimmy Courtney

The Chairman welcomed the panel to the meeting at 2:49 pm, after which Dr Patterson gave a brief presentation on the BMA GPs' views on the Department's consultation document 'Building the Way Forward in Primary Care'. The briefing paper to the Committee highlighted the following points:

• There is a clear need for a robust Primary Care-centred service.

• The BMA Practitioners' Committee welcomed the Assembly's decision to accept the Health Committee's amendment to the HPSS Bill, as it will provide a much needed breathing space to develop a sustainable method of delivering health care through multi-professional working, empowering localities, and improving the quality of services for patients.

• GPs have little confidence in the ability of the HSS Boards (the Boards) to be effective commissioners of health care, and are therefore reassured by the Minister's commitment to ensure that the Boards co-operate with Primary Care (PC) professionals in developing the Department's preferred Option. The Boards must not be placed in an unassailable position.

• There must be clear roles and responsibilities within the PC team. Equal status within a multidisciplinary team means each person being able to make decisions and consequently being accountable for such.

• There is no empowerment of PC in the document beyond Option 4, in other words, total budgetary control at community level.

• The Minister's statement that there will be increased resources to help make the transition to new PC arrangements is very welcome. The continued transfer of workloads from Secondary to Primary Care needs associated dedicated resources.

This was followed by a question-and-answer session, which is summarised in Annex A. The Chairman thanked the panel for their informative contribution to the Committee's consideration on the future delivery of Primary Care services, and they left the meeting at 4:10 pm.

6. Adoption (Intercountry Aspects) Bill

Panel Members:
Mr John Clark
Dr Hilary Harrison
Mr Alan Sharp

The Chairman welcomed the Departmental Officials to the meeting at 4:17 pm. The Committee's consideration of the Bill is recorded separately in verbatim minutes of evidence.

Agreed: The Chairman will write to the Minister requesting that should the Department decide that further primary or secondary legislation is required to tighten the intercountry adoption process, its introduction be expedited in Northern Ireland.

Agreed: As a follow-up to a concern raised with the Committee by an intercountry adoptive parent here, the Chairman will write to the Minister for her views as to whether there should be mandatory health checks for all intercountry adopted children on arrival in Northern Ireland.

Agreed: The Chairman will write to the Minster requesting that the provision in Clause 1 for a maximum imprisonment term of three months for contravention of any of the regulations be increased to six months, in line with the maximum penalty under Clause 12. The Committee was content with Clause 1, subject to an amendment by the Department giving effect to the above.

Clause 5 - Agreed

Clauses 12 to 16 - Agreed

Schedule to the Bill - Agreed

Mr Gallagher left the meeting at 4:40 pm.

Private Session

Members briefly questioned Ms Patricia Casey, Senior Researcher, on the draft response to the Department's consultation document 'Equality Implications of Policies', which she had prepared for the Committee. The Chairman thanked Ms Casey on behalf of the Committee for her valuable contribution.

Agreed: The Committee agreed the draft response, which the Clerk will forward to the Department.

8. Departmental Public Service Agreement (PSA)

Agreed: The Committee considered and agreed the draft response to the PSA, which the Clerk will forward to the Department, with an additional request that it be reproduced in tabular form for ease of reference.

9. AOB

1. Agreed: The Clerk will arrange for the Committee to meet informally with representatives from Age Concern, following a letter of request from that organisation.

2. Agreed: The Clerk will arrange for the Committee to meet informally with a delegation from the Department of Rheumatology of Green Park HealthCare Trust to discuss new therapies for severe rheumatoid arthritis.

3. iii. Agreed: The Clerk will arrange for the Royal College of Psychiatrists to attend the formal Committee meeting scheduled for 7 March to discuss mental health services.

4. Agreed: In his capacity as Chairman of the Committee, Dr Hendron will accept an invitation to visit the Ulster Hospital and Community Trust, which the Clerk will arrange.

5. Agreed: The Clerk will arrange for the Office of Law Reform to attend the Committee meeting on 7 March to assist in the Committee's consideration of the Family Law Bill.

6. The Clerk will write to the Department to request a response in relation to several letters of concern sent to Members by parents of children at Rosstulla school regarding the urgent need for a replacement speech therapist.

7. Agreed: Following a recent newspaper article about a leaked memo from a Senior Official from another Department that implied Assembly Committees' interference in areas that were rightly proper to the Departments, the Clerk will write to the Department to request whether it views this Committee as encroaching upon areas that it ought not.

8. The Clerk will obtain copies of the recent report by UNISON, 'Communities in Crisis', which voices deep concern about the implications of funding cuts in the community and voluntary health sector.

10. Date and Time of Next Meeting

The next Committee meeting will be at 2:00 pm on Wednesday, 14 February 2001 in Room 135, Parliament Buildings.

The meeting ended at 5:32 pm.

DR J HENDRON
COMMITTEE CHAIRMAN

31 January 2001 / Menu / 14 February 2001