Present: Dr J Hendron (Chairman)
Mr P Berry
Rev R Coulter
Ms C Hanna
Mr A McFarland

Apologies: Ms P Armitage
Mr T Gallagher (Deputy Chairman)
Ms M McWilliams
Ms S Ramsey
Mrs I Robinson

In Attendance: Mr G Martin (Committee Clerk)
Mr D Harkin (Assistant Clerk)
Mrs K McFerran (Executive Support)
Ms C Bloomfield (Administrative Support)

Dr Hendron took the Chair at 2:35 pm.

Private Session

1. Minutes of the Last Meeting

The minutes of the last meeting were agreed.

2. Matters Arising

i. The Clerk has issued members with a paper showing diagrams of the five options in the Department's consultation document 'Building the Way Forward in Primary Care'.

Agreed: The Clerk will produce a further diagram showing the Committee's own preferred option.

ii. The Chairman of the Acute Hospitals Review Group, Dr Maurice Hayes, will meet informally with the Committee at 12:30 pm on Wednesday, 9 May in the Private Dining Room. A light lunch will be provided.

3. Subordinate Legislation

i. Agreed: The Committee was content with the Department's proposals for the following two Statutory Rules: The Fire Precautions (Workplace) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2001; and the Pharmaceutical Services (Amendment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2001.

ii. Agreed: That the Health, Social Services and Public Safety Committee has considered the following Statutory Rule:

No. 139/2001 Welfare Foods Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2001

and, subject to the Examiner of Statutory Rules being satisfied as to its technical correctness, has no objection to the Rule.

4. Future Work Programme

The Committee deliberated on possible topics for its next inquiry.

i. Agreed: The Chairman will meet with Professors Paddy Johnston and Roy Spence of Belfast City Hospital regarding the remit of a Committee inquiry into the delivery of cancer services in Northern Ireland, after which the Clerk will draw up draft terms of reference for consideration at next week's meeting.

The Clerk will therefore arrange for a Hansard record of the briefing at next week's meeting by senior Departmental Officials on the current position regarding cancer services.

ii. The Clerk will invite the Chief Medical Officer to present her Annual Report to the Committee at the meeting scheduled for Wednesday, 16 May.

iii. The Committee noted the Minister of Finance and Personnel's response to the Chairman of that Department's Assembly Committee that he should be shortly in a position to advise on the timescales within which the Committees would have an opportunity to scrutinise their respective Departmental Budget bids, as well as allocations under the Executive Programme Funds, for the year 2002/03.

Agreed: To this end, and given Minister de Brún's recent acknowledgement that consultation on the HPSS Budget proposals will have to take place before the summer recess, the Clerk will write to remind the Department of the Committee's need for a standard system that will clearly track spending bids, in order to facilitate its proper scrutiny of the Budget plans.

5. AOB

i. Agreed: Following an invitation to the Committee to visit the facilities in the new build of the Royal Victoria Hospital, in advance of its opening in the next couple of weeks, the Clerk will arrange for the Chairman to attend on the Committee's behalf.

ii. Following the Committee's letter to the Department about its provision for a Human Resources Strategy for the Health and Social Services, a reply has been received stating that a draft strategy for consultation should be available in the next few months.

iii. The Chairman will write a thank-you letter to Mrs Artt, who has now left the Committee to take up the post of Assistant Clerk on the Education Committee.

6. Date and Time of the Next Meeting

The next meeting will be held at 2:00 pm on Wednesday, 9 May 2001 in Room 135, Parliament Buildings.

The meeting ended at 3:25 pm.

DR J HENDRON
COMMITTEE CHAIRMAN

May 2001

25 April 2001 / Menu / 9 May 2001