Health and Community Care Committee, 13 Nov 2002
Meeting date: Wednesday, November 13, 2002
Official Report
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Hepatitis C (Compensation)
Agenda item 3 is hepatitis C, and we can pat ourselves on the back for any movement made by the Executive and say thanks very much to us all for helping it on its way.
Last week, we met the minister for a private briefing during which we discussed the fact that we would want to hear from the minister in public when the expert group report had been published and we had all had a chance to read it. The suggestion is that the minister come to our meeting on 11 December to tell us exactly what the Executive will do in response to the report. We will also hear from Lord Ross, the chair of the expert group, and Philip Dolan, who is a member of both the expert group and the Haemophilia Society. It is, of course, open to members to suggest anyone else that they might want to hear from.
The minister cannot make it on 4 December, and the deputy convener and I felt that having that meeting on 11 December would give the Executive enough time to produce a substantive report on its action. The message to the Executive from the committee is that we expect answers at that meeting. We do not want the issue to drag on into next year, and we hope that waiting until 11 December will give the minister enough time to respond with an idea of what action will be taken.
Is that acceptable to members?
Members indicated agreement.
That brings to an end the public part of this morning's business.
Meeting suspended until 10:47 and thereafter continued in private until 12:24.