Health and Social Care Committee
HSC(4)-15-12 paper 10
Forward Work Programme
HEALTH AND SOCIAL CARE COMMITTEE: WORK PROGRAMME AND TIMETABLE
Purpose
1. The purpose of this paper is to outline the anticipated business for the Health and Social Care Committee’s timetable for autumn / winter 2012 and to seek Members’ views on the Committee’s forward work programme.
Background
2. The Health and Social Care Committee is responsible for examining legislation and holding the Welsh Government to account by scrutinising expenditure, administration and policy matters encompassing: the physical, mental and public health of the people of Wales, including the social care system.
3. To date, the Committee’s programme has comprised policy work in the main. Looking to the autumn and winter terms, the emerging picture suggests that it will be an intensive period with respect to the Committee’s legislative responsibilities.
Identified business for September – December 2012
4. A number of pieces of legislation are likely to be referred to the Committee for formal consideration over coming months, details of which are outlined in Annex A to this paper. It is anticipated that the majority of the Committee’s time between September and December 2012 will need to be allocated to this work.
5. In addition to its legislative work, the Committee’s consideration of the draft budget for 2013-14 will also need to take place during this period.
6. Inevitably, therefore, the Committee’s ability to undertake policy scrutiny is likely to be more limited than it has been over the last 12 months. Some scope does exist, however, to incorporate a flexible piece of policy work in and around the Committee’s legislation and budget commitments.
Options
7. Given the shift in the balance of the Committee’s work, any policy inquiry identified by the Committee will need to be sufficiently flexible to fit around the fixed timetables associated with legislation and budget scrutiny.
8. It is proposed, therefore, that the Committee identify one policy subject for consideration during the autumn / winter term. This work could then be scheduled around its anticipated legislation and budget commitments.
9. Once a subject has been identified by the Committee, a scoping paper and draft terms of reference will be provided by the Committee Secretariat for Members’ consideration. It is proposed that the Committee launches a written consultation over the summer period to allow sufficient time for evidence to be submitted for the autumn term.
10. A list of possible topics suggested by Members and / or stakeholders in the past is attached at Annex B to this paper to help inform Members’ consideration.
Action
11. Members are invited to:
(i) consider the options outlined in paragraphs 7 – 10;
(ii) propose any initial ideas for inquiry topics.
ANNEX A – Anticipated timings for proposed legislation
Please note that the timings provided below are indications only and are based on information provided by members in charge of the legislation. All dates are subject to change by the relevant member in charge.
|
Bill |
Member in charge |
Timing |
|
Food Hygiene Rating Scheme (Display of Information) (Wales) Bill |
Government Bill – Lesley Griffiths AM, Minister for Health and Social Services |
Stage 1: Summer – Autumn 2012 Stage 2: Autumn 2012 |
|
Social Services (Wales) Bill |
Government Bill – Gwenda Thomas AM, Deputy Minister for Children and Social Services |
Stage 1: Autumn – Winter 2012 Stage 2: Winter – Spring 2013 |
|
Organ Donation (Wales) Bill |
Government Bill – Lesley Griffiths AM, Minister for Health and Social Services |
Stage 1: Winter 2012 Stage 2: Spring 2013 |
|
Public Health (Wales) Bill |
Government Bill – Lesley Griffiths AM, Minister for Health and Social Services |
Second half of 5 year government term |
Members may also wish to be aware that the Asbestos (Recovery of Medical Costs) Bill, proposed by Mick Antoniw AM, has been granted leave to proceed by the Assembly. This is likely to fall within the Health and Social Care Committee’s remit and, as such, may be referred for Stage 1 and Stage 2 consideration by the Committee in autumn / winter 2012.
ANNEX B – Possible policy inquiry topics suggested to date
The list below contains ideas already suggested by Members / stakeholders. Members are not obliged to select a subject from this list – it is provided for information only. A longer list / more details can be provided at a later date if required.
|
· Use of ICT in the NHS |
|
· Mental Health Strategy / Services in Wales |
|
· Access to medicines / treatments in Wales |
|
· Learning Disability Service |
|
· Prison Healthcare |
|
· Nurse specialists and nurse consultants |
|
· Co-responder services in Wales |
|
· Health inequalities |
|
· Post-traumatic Stress Disorder |