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Agenda item 4 is forthcoming legislation. Further to the First Minister's statement on 14 May, it is expected that a bill that will make provision for constitution of health boards, for the election of certain members of health boards and for connected purposes will be introduced before the summer recess. It is expected that the Health and Sport Committee will be designated lead committee in respect of that bill.
Do members agree that we should consider possible candidates for oral evidence following consideration of the written evidence? Do we agree to consider a list of potential witnesses in private, as is normal practice? Members may also submit names themselves.
Do members agree to delegate to me responsibility for arranging for the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body to pay, under rule 12.4.3, any expenses of witnesses in respect of consideration of the bill?
Do members agree to consider in private drafts of the committee's stage 1 report on the bill, as is normal practice?
When we call for written evidence, can we ensure that we have some communication with trusts in England that have elected boards? They may not be willing to submit evidence, but it would be valuable for us to get evidence from them.
That is fine. Members may make further suggestions if, after having seen the list of witnesses and written submissions, they think that someone has been missed out, as sometimes happens. Ordinary members of the public may not look at our website with as much attention as others do. I knew that that would provoke a discussion.
I was slightly surprised to see this item on the agenda, because I am aware that the Government is conducting two pilot studies of elected health boards. I thought that those pilots would run for some time before the bill came before us.
I understand that the bill will be introduced before the recess. The item is on the agenda to ensure that there is no slippage and that we are able to issue a call for evidence over the summer. We will not have witnesses before us at our first meeting after the recess, but we will at least have set the process in train.
I understand that, but I thought that we would receive information from the pilot studies and that some sort of audit would be carried out to inform our judgments on the bill. We will consider the bill in parallel with the pilot studies, which will run for two or three years. We will have information from England, which is good, but it would have been good for us to get information from Scotland.
I understand that the bill will make provision for the pilots to be set up.
So the bill is to set up the pilots, rather than to introduce elections for health boards. That makes sense.
I cannot say, as I am not privy to the bill. I understand that a bill will be introduced. Normally, we are not in charge of timetables, so we will have to consider the bill at stage 1 regardless of what it says. When the bill is introduced, the clerks will issue a call for evidence over the recess. If, once written evidence has been submitted, a member thinks that someone has been missed out—Richard Simpson mentioned that there have been elections to boards in England—we can write to them. Anyone will be able to add to the list once we have seen it. Thereafter we will decide whom to invite to give oral evidence, as we have agreed.
Can you clarify that point? Paper HS/S3/08/18/8 refers to
The usual caveat—"and for connected purposes"—is attached to the bill. Those connected purposes may be the establishment of pilot studies, but I do not know whether that is the case, as I have not seen the bill. Forgive me for saying so, but I think that you are making a political argument. I do not think that pilots for elections to boards can be established until legislation is in place.
I am not arguing—I am just asking for clarity.
I cannot give you clarity until I have seen the bill. Everything will become clear next week, when we see it; Mary Scanlon may then be content. I do not have access to legislation ahead of any other member of the committee. That is the best I can do.
Meeting continued in private until 11:40.
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