Addendum Report on the Health and Social Care Bill

Committee for Health

Committee for Health - Addendum Report on the Health and Social Care Bill.pdf (228.02 kb)

Contents

• Consideration of Departmental Amendments
• Appendix 1 Minutes of proceedings
• Appendix 2 Minutes of evidence
• Appendix 3 Memoranda and papers from the Department of Health
• Appendix 4 List of Witnesses

Consideration of Departmental Amendments

1. During consideration of the Health and Social Care Bill, the Committee agreed that it wished to see the Bill amended to include provision for legislative powers to place a statutory duty on the Department of Health to bring forward regulations on the new Integrated Care System Model/Framework to be laid in the Assembly and for such regulations to be approved by affirmative procedure.  The Committee agreed that any regulations should include the reporting mechanism of the new model.

2. In addition, the Committee outlined its concerns in relation to a possible loss of local input during the transitional arrangements.  The Committee agreed that the Bill should be amended to reflect an additional requirement that Local Commissioning Groups are retained.  It was the Committee’s view that an amendment of this type would allow the retention of the that Local Commissioning Groups until regulations are approved by the Assembly to ensure there is no gap in local engagement and input.

3. At its meeting on 23 September, the Committee agreed amendments to the Bill that would provide the Committee and the Assembly with the necessary assurances.

4. The Department of Health did advise the Committee that it was considering possible amendments to the Bill to alleviate the Committee’s concerns. The Committee agreed not to table its amendments until after it had considered the Department’s amendments.

5. The Committee was briefed on the Departmental amendments at its meeting on 21 October, a copy of the correspondence from the Department is included in Appendix 3. The amendments put forward by the Department facilitate the following:

• Provision for legislative powers placing a statutory duty on the Department to bring forth regulations on Area Integrated Partnership Boards. The regulations must be laid in the Assembly and are subject to the draft affirmative procedure;
• The high level functions, duties and responsibilities of Area Integrated Partnership Boards that may be prescribed in regulations;
• A power for the Department to give Directions and provide guidance to Area Integrated Partnership Boards;
• Provision for the continuation of Local Commissioning Groups (LCGs) beyond the closure of the Health and Social Care Board. On the closure of the Health and Social Care Board, LCGs will become statutory bodies and will remain in place until such time as the Department makes regulations in respect of the Area Integrated Partnership Boards. The Department can only make these regulations following the Assembly approval through the draft affirmative process;
• Provision to retain the LCGs functions and membership as they currently are.
• Provision to extend membership beyond an initial 6 months following the closure of the Health and Social Care Board and at 12 monthly intervals thereafter should that be necessary.
• Provision to disqualify and replace LCG members in line with existing regulations; and
• The necessary consequential and transitional provision to ensure existing references to LCGs in legislation are maintained and where necessary are extended to reflect its change of status from a Committee of the Health and Social Care Board to a statutory body following the closure of the Board.

6. The Committee was also briefed by the Bill Clerk on the amendments at its meeting on 4 November. At the same meeting the Committee agreed that it was content that the Department’s amendments addressed the issues that the Committee had raised and that it would support the Department’s proposed amendments and that it would not table the Committee’s previously agreed amendments.

Appendix 1: Minutes of Proceedings

• 21 October 2021
• 4 November 2021

Appendix 2: Minutes of Evidence

• 21 October - A briefing from the Department of Health on the Department's amendments

Appendix 3: Memoranda and papers from the Department of Health

• 19 October 2021 - Departmental paper outlining amendments (PDF, 10 pages, 461KB)

Appendix 4: List of Witnesses

21 October 2021

• John Millar, Head of Health and Social Care Board Closure Project Branch, Department of Health
• Allan Chapman, Future Planning Model, Planning Team Lead, Department of Health

You may re-use this publication (not including images or logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Northern Ireland Assembly Licence. To find out more about this licence visit: http://data.niassembly.gov.uk/license.aspx.  This Report can be made available in a range of formats including large print, Braille etc. For more information, please contact:

Keith McBride, Clerk
Committee for Health
Northern Ireland Assembly
Room 419, Parliament Buildings
Ballymiscaw
Stormont
Belfast BT4 3XX

Telephone: 028 90 520348
Email: committee.health@niassembly.gov.uk
Twitter: @niahealth