Health and Community Care Committee, 20 Nov 2002

Meeting date: Wednesday, November 20, 2002

Official Report 269KB pdf

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Scottish Parliament Health and Community Care Committee Wednesday 20 November 2002 (Morning)

[The Convener opened the meeting at 10:01]

Good morning and welcome to this meeting of the Health and Community Care Committee, which is in a slightly unusual setting. We have a late start this morning.

On a point of order, convener, although perhaps you will call it a point of clarification. The committee is carrying out an investigation into hepatitis C and has not finished its consideration of the matter. Given that, and given that the Minister for Health and Community Care will appear before the committee on 11 December, when we will question him about finance, is it competent or courteous to the committee for one of our members to go to the Finance Committee to ask for additional sums of money in relation to that issue? Will you give a ruling on that, convener?

My view is that the point of order is not relevant to today's meeting because we do not have an agenda item on hepatitis C, although one is scheduled for the meeting on 11 December. It would be relevant to make the point of order then.

I do not want to go into too much detail, but it is perfectly competent for any member of the Scottish Parliament to go to the Finance Committee with a suggestion on the budget. I intend to write to Nicola Sturgeon to say that, as we considered the budget last week, that might have been a good time to raise the subject of hepatitis C. However, standing orders are clear that it is competent for any member to go to the Finance Committee. Therefore, the action was not incompetent.

Given that we have not finished the investigation into hepatitis C, is it your ruling that it is competent for members of the committee to go out on a limb on matters that relate to committee investigations?

My first ruling is that the point of order is not relevant today. I am happy to discuss the point on 11 December, when hepatitis C is on the agenda. I suggest that if you have matters to raise with me, you should write to me and we will consider the issue at that meeting. As I said, it is perfectly competent for any member to raise issues at the Finance Committee.

After 11 December, having heard from the minister, the expert group on hepatitis C and the Haemophilia Society, we will, as a committee, draw up a set of recommendations that will cover the details and the financing of any scheme. It is probably better for us to reserve judgment on the issue until we have heard from the minister and other witnesses on 11 December. You should write to me if you wish to discuss the matter further.

I will, as I do not want to take up time at today's meeting. However, I have put my view on the record that it is discourteous to this committee for a committee member to have raised the issue at a meeting of the Finance Committee.