HC Deb 12 November 1976 vol 919 cc311-2W
Miss Maynard

asked the Secretary at State for Social Services whether he intends to allow community health councils to appoint observers to family practitioner committees to act in a similar rôle to the community health councils' observers on area health authorities.

Mr. Moyle

My right hon. Friend's consent is not required to such an arrangement, which is already in operation in a number of areas by agreement between the community health councils and family practitioner committees concerned. We are, however, currently considering whether it would be helpful for us to issue any general guidance on the subject.

Miss Maynard

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether he intends to allow community health councils to appoint observers to joint consultative committees of local authorities and area health authorities to act in a similar rôle to the community health councils' observers on area health authorities.

Mr. Moyle

Community health councils are already free to appoint observers to attend meetings of such committees, if this is acceptable to the committees. It is for individual committees to determine their own procedures and decide whether observers should attend.

Miss Maynard

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether he intends to alter the National Health Service (Service Committees and Tribunals) Regulations 1974 (S.I., 1974 No. 455) to make it clear that a secretary of a community health council is not a "paid advocate" within the meaning of the regulations and is therefore allowed to represent a member of the public at a service committee hearing.

Mr. Moyle

My legal advice is that the secretary of a community health council should not ordinarily be regarded as a "paid advocate" within the meaning of the regulations as they now stand. The whole question of assistance to and representation of parties at service committee hearings is, however, one of those on which my Department has recently invited the comments of all interested bodies, including family practitioner committees and community health councils, as part of a general review of the service committee procedure.