S.I. No. 339/1996 - The Consultative Council on Hepatitis C (Establishment) Order, 1996.

1. This order may be cited as the Consultative Council on Hepatitis C (Establishment) Order, 1996.

2. A Council to be called "The Consultative Council on Hepatitis C" ( herein referred to as "the Council") is hereby established with the following terms of reference:–

To advise and make recommendations to the Minister for Health on all aspects of Hepatitis C, on its own initiative or at the request of the Minister, and in particular on:–

– the health and counselling services for persons with Hepatitis C, including the funding of such services as set out in the Book of Estimates each year to ensure that such funding is sufficient to provide the range of services set out in the Health Care Services Document published by the Minister in December, 1995;

– the organisation, delivery and confidentiality of services for persons with Hepatitis C;

– the changing needs of persons infected with Hepatitis C in order to ensure that the health services respond effectively to such changing needs;

– developments arising from research into Hepatitis C under the aegis of the Health Research Board;

– the publication of information on Hepatitis C.

3. The Council shall, not later than the 30th day of June in each year, present an annual report to the Minister in relation to the performance of its functions during the preceding year.

4. The Minister, as soon as may be after the establishment of the Council, shall appoint persons to be members of the Council.

5. The Council shall consist of sixteen members appointed by the Minister, of whom –

(i) Two shall be appointed on the nomination of Positive Action;

(ii) Two shall be appointed on the nomination of Transfusion Positive;

(iii) One shall be appointed on the nomination of the Irish Haemophilia Society;

(iv) One shall be appointed on the nomination of the Irish Kidney Association.

6. The Minister shall appoint a member of the Council to be chairperson of the Council.

7. The term of office of each member of the Council shall not exceed three years from the date of appointment.

8. The quorum for a meeting of the Council shall be seven.

9. A member of the Council may at any time resign his or her membership by letter addressed to the Minister and the resignation shall take effect from the date specified therein or upon receipt of the letter by the Minister, whichever is the later.

10. A member shall cease to be a member of the Council on his or her being requested by the Minister to resign.

11. In the event of a casual vacancy arising on the Council, the vacancy shall be filled by appointment by the Minister and where such member was appointed on the nomination of a body referred to in Section 5 the appointment shall be made on the nomination of that body and the person appointed shall hold office as a member of the Council for the unexpired period of the term of office of the said member.

12. A person shall not receive any remuneration for acting as a member of the Council, but members of the Council may be paid travelling and subsistence allowances in accordance with such scales as may from time to time be approved by the Minister with the consent of the Minister for Finance.

13. Subject to Sections 1 to 12 above, the Council shall determine its own procedures.

GIVEN under the Official Seal of the Minister for Health this

26th day of November, 1996

Michael Noonan

Minister for Health

EXPLANATORY NOTE

The effect of this Order is to establish a Consultative Council to advise the Minister for Health on all aspects of Hepatitis C, on its own initiative or at the request of the Minister.

S.I. No. 339 of 1996.

THE CONSULTATIVE COUNCIL ON HEPATITIS C (ESTABLISHMENT) ORDER, 1996.

The Minister for Health ( herein referred to as "the Minister") in exercise of the powers conferred on him by

Section 98

(3) of the

Health Act, 1947

(No. 28 of 1947) (as amended by

Section 41

of the

Health Act, 1953

(No. 26 of 1953) hereby orders as follows