§ Mr. BercowTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what the mandate of the Advisory Committee for the Transparency of Measures Governing the Pricing of Medicinal Products for Human Use is; what the annual cost of its work is to public funds; if he will list the items currently under its consideration; if he will take steps to increase its accountability and transparency to Parliament; and if he will make a statement. [55358]
§ Ms BlearsA consultative committee was established by Council Directive 89/105/EEC to implement the Directive, which relates to the transparency of measures regulating the prices of medicinal products for human use 1119W and their inclusion in the scope of national health insurance systems. Its task is to examine questions relating to the application of this Directive brought up by the Commission or at the request of a member state.
The Committee last met in early 1999.
§ Mr. BercowTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what the mandate of the advisory committee on the training of chemists is; how many times it has met over the last 12 months; what the UK representation on it is; what the annual cost of its work is to public funds; if he will list the items currently under its consideration; if he will take steps to increase its accountability and transparency to Parliament; and if he will make a statement. [56759]
§ Ms BlearsThe advisory committee on pharmaceutical training (ACPT) is one of a group of committees set up to advise the European Commission and member states on matters relating to the training of workers whose professions come under sectoral directives guaranteeing free movement and automatic recognition of qualifications.
The ACPT was set up by Council Decision 85/434/EEC. Its mandate is set down in Article 2, which states that:
- 1. The task of the Committee shall be to help to ensure a comparably high standard of pharmaceutical training in the Community.
- 2. It shall carry out this task, in particular, by the following means:
- exchange of comprehensive information as to the training methods and the content, level and structure of theoretical and practical courses provided in the member states,
- discussion and consultation with the object of developing a common approach to the standard to be attained in the training of pharmacists and, as appropriate, to the structure and content of such training,
- keeping under review the adaptation of the pharmaceutical training to developments in pharmaceutical science and teaching methods.
- 3. The Committee shall communicate to the Commission and the member states its opinions and recommendations including, when it considers it appropriate, suggestions for amendments to be made to the articles relating to pharmaceutical training in Council Directives 85/432/EEC and 85/433/EEC.
- 4. The Committee shall also advise the Commission on any other matter which the Commission may refer to it in relation to pharmaceutical training.
Each advisory committee has three experts from each member state—one each from the practising profession, the education establishments and the competent authorities concerned. Three alternates are also appointed. Members and alternates are nominated by Ministers, following consultation with the relevant professional bodies.
The advisory committee members' expenses fall to be paid by the Commission (or on occasion by the professions concerned). There is thus no direct charge to public funds.
Member states are currently considering Commission proposals for streamlining the directives and processes relating to free movement of professionals. None of the advisory committees has met during the last 12 months; and none of them has any items under consideration.
1120WIn April this year, the issues arising from the Commission's proposals for the future of professional recognition were submitted to the Parliamentary Scrutiny Committees (Explanatory Memorandum No. 7239/02— COM(2002)119 final),
§ Mr. BercowTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what the mandate of the Committee on the approximation of the laws, regulations and administrative provision of the member states concerning the manufacture, presentation and sale of tobacco products is; how many times it has met over the last 12 months; what the United Kingdom representation on it is; what the annual cost of its work is to public funds; if he will list the items currently under its consideration; if he will take steps to increase its accountability and transparency to Parliament; and if he will make a statement. [57480]
§ Ms BlearsUnder EU Directive 2001/37/EC on the manufacture, presentation and sale of tobacco products, provision is made for a Committee to be set up to assist the European Commission in developing and updating the provisions of the Directive. The Committee is currently in the process of being set up and its first meeting is anticipated to take place before the end of this year. The United Kingdom will be represented by one expert, and the costs associated with it are not yet known. The work programme of the Committee has not been confirmed but is likely to build on Article 11 of the Directive, which highlights a number of areas which should be reviewed or developed in the light of developments in scientific and technical knowledge.
§ Mr. BercowTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what the mandate of the Committee on the Community action programme on injury prevention is; how many times it has met over the last 12 months; what the United Kingdom representation on it is; what the annual cost of its work is to public funds; if he will list the items currently under its consideration; if he will take steps to increase its accountability and transparency to Parliament; and if he will make a statement. [57475]
§ Ms BlearsCommittee was established under Article 5 of the Decision 372/I999/EC, adopting a programme of community action on injury prevention in the framework for action in the field of public health, to assist the Commission in implementing the programme.
The committee met twice in the last twelve months, on 20 June 2001, and 18 December 2001, when it was formally disbanded.
The UK was generally represented by two officials from the Department and the Department for Trade and Industry. Three officials attended the June meeting.
The travel costs are reimbursed by the commission for two delegates at each meeting. Therefore the cost to public funds was overnight subsistence for all the delegates, in accordance with the policy of individual Departments, and one return airfare to Luxembourg. A record of the individual costs to each Department is not centrally held.
There are currently no items under consideration of the committee, as it was disbanded in December 2001.
Together with member states, the Commission is currently conducting a review to bring existing legislation on the conduct of comitology committees into line 1121W with Council Decision 1999/468/EC, to "simplify the requirements for the exercise of implementing powers conferred on the Commission".
As an obligation to this decision, the Commission undertook to publish an annual report on the working of committees. The first report was deposited in the Libraries of both Houses on 26 February 2002 (Com (2001) 783 Final).
As part of the review process, the UK Government have encouraged the Commission to produce and maintain an electronic database of every comitology committee, its agendas and recent actions, to be accessible through its website.
§ Mr. BercowTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what the mandate of the Committee for the implementation of the Community action programme on health promotion, information, education and training is; how many times it has met over the last 12 months; what the United Kingdom representation on it is; what the annual cost of its work is to public funds; if he will list the items currently under its consideration; if he will take steps to increase its accountability and transparency to Parliament; and if he will make a statement. [57477]
§ Ms BlearsThe European Union Committee for the implementation of the Community action programme on health promotion, information, education and training was mandated under Article 5 of Decision 645/96/EC of the European Parliament and the Council. The committee assisted the Commission in taking forward the programme by providing opinions on proposed measures by the Commission. It is due to terminate with the introduction of the new EU action programme on public health.
The committee met twice in the last year, in May 2001 and February 2002. One UK official from the Department attended on each occasion.
1122WTravel and subsistence claims paid from public funds were £346. The commission reimbursed international airfare costs.
Details about the committee, the programme and funded projects can be found on Europa, the EU online website: http://europa.eu.int/comm/health/index en.html.