Committee Reports::Annual Report of the Joint Committee on Health and Children, 2002-03::05 February, 2004::Report

This report has been prepared pursuant to Standing Order 84 (3), (4), (5) and (6) (Dáil Éireann) and Standing Order 69 (3), (4), (5) and (6) (Seanad Éireann) which provide for the Joint Committee to-

At its meeting on 5^th February, the Joint Committee agreed that all these items should be included in this annual report.

2. Functions and Powers

The Dáil Select Committee was established by Order of Dáil Éireann of 16 October 2002 to consider Bills, Estimates for Public Services and the terms of any international agreement involving a charge on public funds which come within the aegis of the Department of Health and Children.

The Dáil Select Committee under the same Order was enjoined with a Select Committee of Seanad Éireann, established by Order of Seanad Éireann of 17 October 2002, to form the Joint Committee on Health and Children. Among the principal functions of the Joint Committee are to consider —

The Orders of Reference of the Dáil Select Committee and the Joint Committee are set out at Appendix 1.

3. Chairman, Vice-Chairman, Convenors and Membership

Deputy Batt O’Keeffe was elected as Chairman of the Joint Committee on 2 December 2002. Deputy John Moloney was elected as Vice-Chairman of the Joint Committee on Health & Children. The Chairman of the Joint Committee is also Chairman of the Dáil Select Committee.

Deputies Jimmy Devins and Dan Neville are the Convenors of the Committee whose function it is to ensure the availability and attendance of Members or their substitutes for meetings of the Committee and, in particular, to ensure Members’ availability for divisions.

4. Establishment of Sub-Committee.

Standing Order 81(3) (Dáil) and Standing Order 65(3) (Seanad) confer on Committees the power to appoint sub-Committees and to refer to such sub-Committees any matter covered by its orders of reference and to delegate any of its powers to such sub-Committees, including power to report directly to the Dáil and Seanad.

The Joint Committee agreed at its meeting on 10^th July 2003 to create a sub-Committee to consider Alcohol Misuse by Young People. It was also agreed that the Sub-Committee would consist of 6 Members (3 from the Dáil and 3 from the Seanad). The Orders of Reference of the sub-Committee are set out in Appendix 3. The Members of the sub-Committee are set out in Appendix 4.

At its first meeting on the 17^th December 2003 the Sub-Committee elected Batt O’Keeffe, T.D. as Chairman.

5. Meetings, Attendance and Recording

Meetings of the Joint Committee, Select Committee and sub-Committee took place in the Committee rooms in Leinster House 2000. Meetings were in public unless otherwise ordered by the Committee.

Televised coverage of public meetings of the Committee were broadcast live within the Leinster House complex and was available for subsequent public broadcasting by RTE and TV3.

An Official Report (Parliamentary Debates) of the public meetings of the Committees is published and may be purchased from the Government Publications Sales Office, Sun Alliance House, Molesworth Street, Dublin 2. The Official Reports may also be viewed on the Houses of the Oireachtas website at www.irlgov.ie/oireachtas.

Copies of other reports published by the Joint Committee may be obtained from the Clerk, Joint Committee on Health and Children, Kildare House, Kildare Street, Dublin 2. A list of these reports is set out at paragraph 9.

6. Number and Duration of Meetings

The Joint Committee met on 24 occasions in the year under report. The number of hours discussion involved in these meetings was in excess of 38 hours. The date and subject matter of each meeting is set out in paragraph 7 below and at Appendix 5.

The Dáil Select Committee met on 5 occasions in the year under report and the number of hours discussion involved in these meetings was in excess of 4 hours. The date and subject matter of each meeting is set out in paragraph 7 below and at Appendix 6.

The Sub-Committee on Alcohol Misuse by Young People met on 1 occasion during the year and the number of hours discussion involved in this meeting was in excess of half an hour. The date and subject matter of the meeting is set out in paragraph 7 below and at Appendix 7.

Minutes of proceedings of the Joint Committee and sub-Committee meetings in public session are attached at Appendix 8 and Appendix 9.

7. Work of the Committee

7.1 Joint Committee

On the 24 occasions the Joint Committee met, it dealt with the following matters:

•Election of the Chairman.

•The Committee’s 2003 Work Programme.

•National Policy aimed at reducing Alcohol Misuse by Young People.

•The proposed roll-out of the Breast-check Programme nationwide.

•Issues relating to home births.

•The Medical Councils perspective on a proposed EU Directive regarding Professional Qualifications.

•The effects high levels of alcohol consumption by young people is having on Hospital Accident & Emergency Departments nationwide according to Accident & Emergency Consultants.

•Discussion with the Vintners Federation of Ireland and the Licensed Vintners Federation on high levels of alcohol consumption by young people.

•Scrutiny of EU Proposal COM 2002 (494), a Proposal for a Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council for Drug Percursors and a briefing on COM 2002 (699), an adapted Directive regarding Tobacco Advertising.

•Issues surrounding the SARS Virus.

•Discussion with manufacturers and importers of alcohol products and with Mature Enjoyment of Alcohol in Society (MEAS) Ltd on the high levels of consumption of alcohol by young people.

•Presentations by the Irish Autism Alliance; the Aspergers Syndrome of Ireland (ASPIRE) and the Departments of Education & Science and Health & Children on progress made in implementing the recommendations contained in the Report of the Task Force on Autism commissioned by the Department of Education & Science (this meeting was held in conjunction with the Joint Committee on Education & Science).

•Progress made in implementing the recommendations contained in the Report on the Orthodontic Service in Ireland by the former Joint Committee on Health & Children.

•Consideration of the draft Risk Equalisation Scheme, 2003.

•Discussion with the Irish Health Trade Association and the Association of Health Stores on a proposed EU Food Supplements Directive 2002/46EC.

•Discussion with the Dublin Dental School and Hospital, Trinity College Dublin and the Dental Faculty, University College Cork, on the Orthodontic Accreditation System and system of Training being pursued by the training institutions.

•Discussion with members of the Forum on Fluoridation and Dr. Don McCauley, Dental Surgeon, on the recommendations contained in the Report of the Forum on Fluoridation.

•The present and future needs of the Rheumatology Services according to Consultant Rheumatologists.

•The present and future needs of the Neurology Services according to Consultant Neurologists and the Neurological Alliance.

•Further discussions with the Irish Arthritis Foundation and the Irish Society for Rheumatology on the present and future needs of the Rheumatology Services.

•Consideration of the Health Act 1970 (Section 76) Simpson’s Hospital Estate Act (Amendment) Order, 2003.

•The Report of the National Task Force on Medical Staffing (Hanly Report).

•The costs and related issues of insuring Medical Practitioners and the imminent introduction of Enterprise Liability into the Public Hospital System.

•Report of the Commission on Financial Management and Control Systems in the Health Service (Brennan Report).

•Consideration of the Risk Equalisation (Amendment) Scheme, 2003.

7.2 Dáil Select Committee

On the 5 occasions the Dáil Select Committee met, it dealt with the following matters:

7.3 Sub-Committee on Alcohol Misuse by Young People.

On the 1 occasion that it met, the Sub-Committee on Alcohol Misuse by Young People dealt with the following matter:

8. Groups and Individuals attending before Committee

In the year under report, the Joint Committee met with the following organisations, groups and individuals:

•Department of Health & Children Officials;

•Department of Education & Science Officials;

•National Educational Psychological Service;

•Members of the Board of the Breast-Check Programme;

•Midwifery Birth Alliance;

•The Medical Council;

•Dr. Eamon Brasil, Accident & Emergency Consultant, Mater Hospital, Dublin;

•Dr. Mary Holohan, Accident & Emergency Consultant, Rotunda Hospital, Dublin;

•Mr. Coleman O’Leary, Accident & Emergency Consultant, Limerick Regional Hospital;

•Dr. Chris Luke, Accident & Emergency Consultant, Cork University Hospital;

•Dr. Tony Martin, Accident & Emergency Consultant, Galway University Hospital;

•Dr. Paul Gaffney, Accident & Emergency Consultant, Castlebar General Hospital, Mayo;

•National Disease Surveillance Centre;

•Irish Medical Organisation;

•The Vintners Federation of Ireland;

•Licensed Vintners Association;

•Diageo Ireland;

•Irish Distillers Limited;

•Beamish & Crawford;

•Heineken Ireland;

•Edward Dillon & Company;

•Mature Enjoyment of Alcohol in Society (MEAS) Ltd;

•Irish Autism Alliance;

•Irish Society for Autism;

•Aspergers Syndrome of Ireland Ltd (ASPIRE);

•Irish Health Trade Association;

•Association of Health Stores;

•Dublin Dental School and Hospital, Trinity College Dublin;

•Dental Faculty, University College Cork;

•Members of the Forum on Fluoridation;

•Dr. Don McCauley, Dental Surgeon;

•Dr. Eoin Casey, Consultant Rheumatologist, St. James’s Hospital, Dublin;

•Dr. Gráinne Kearns, Consultant Rheumatologist, Beaumont Hospital, Dublin;

•Dr. Robert Coughlan, Consultant Rheumatologist, Merlin Park Hospital, Galway;

•Dr. Orla Hardiman, Consultant Neurologist, Beaumont Hospital, Dublin;

•Dr. Tim Coonihan, Consultant Neurologist, Galway University Hospital;

•The Neurological Alliance;

•Irish Arthritis Foundation;

•Irish Society for Rheumatology;

•National Task Force on Medical Staffing;

•Medical Defence Union Ltd;

•Commission on Financial Management and Control Systems in the Health Service;

•Medical Protection Society;

•Messrs Lane, Clark & Peacock Consulting Actuaries.

The Sub-Committee on Alcohol Misuse by Young People did not meet any groups and individuals.

9. Reports

9.1 Joint Committee Reports.

During the year under report, the Joint Committee published the following reports:

9.2 Work in Progress

10. Travel.

The Joint Committee undertook the following travel in accordance with its Orders of Reference in connection with its work programme.

b)Purpose of travel: to attend a Fact-finding Mission and International Conference on AIDS/HIV in developing countries.

Date and Destination: 6^th to 12^th September 2003. Capetown and Botswana, South Africa

Members travelling: Deputies Olivia Mitchell, Fiona O’Malley and Jerry Cowley and Senator Camillus Glynn.

c)Purpose of travel: to attend a MRC/DTI Conference on the future of Stem Cell Research.

11. Functions and Powers

The Joint Committee is currently satisfied with its present procedures and role.

TITHE AN OIREACHTAIS

An Comhchoiste um Shláinte agus Leanaí

TUARASCÁIL BHLIANTÚIL 2002/3 agus CLÁR OIBRE 2004

Feabhra 2004

HOUSES OF THE OIREACHTAS

Joint Committee on Health and Children

ANNUAL REPORT 2002/3 and WORK PROGRAMME 2004

February 2004

1. Content and Format of Report