Health and Sport Committee
Meeting date: Tuesday, January 17, 2012
Official Report
640KB pdf
European Union Legislative Proposal (Health for Growth Programme)
Item 7 is to deal with a European Union legislative proposal that might raise questions in relation to subsidiarity.
The proposal is for a regulation of the European Parliament and the Council on the establishment of a health for growth programme for 2014 to 2020—the third multi-annual programme of EU action in the field of health.
As detailed in the committee papers, the European Commission has said that it considers that the proposal complies with subsidiarity. The UK Government is concerned about the possibility of “competence creep” but is yet to finalise its position on the proposal. The House of Commons European Scrutiny Committee and the House of Lords EU Select Committee have considered the matter separately and both have sought further information from the UK Government. The committee is invited to decide whether it wishes simply to note the matter and to take no further action or to write to the Scottish Government to ascertain its position.
Does anyone want to move that we should take a cautionary approach and write to the Scottish Government?
I move that we write to the Scottish Government to ascertain its position on the matter and to ask to what extent the national health service in Scotland has benefited from the public health programme for 2003 to 2007 and the health programme for 2008 to 2013, to what extent the NHS in Scotland will benefit from the four key objectives and associated actions in the health for growth proposal, what discussions the Scottish Government has had with the UK Department of Health concerning the proposal, and whether the Scottish Government shares the UK Government’s initial concerns about competence creep—I like that phrase.
Thanks, Richard.
That seems reasonable.
Are we agreed?
Members indicated agreement.
13:18
Meeting continued in private until 13:19.