AQW 52015/22-27

Ms Kellie Armstrong
Alliance Party
Strangford

Tabled Date: 15/09/2026
Answered On Date: 02/10/2026
Priority Written: No

Question:
To ask the Minister of Health whether any assessment was undertaken of any potential overlap between the functions of the Independent Reconfiguration Committee and those of the Strategic Planning and Performance Group, or any other parts of his Department.

Answer:

The Independent Reconfiguration Committee was announced in response to findings from the “Hospitals – Creating a Network for Better Outcomes” public consultation which highlighted a need to rebuild public confidence in the way major service decisions are made and communicated.

The Independent Reconfiguration Committee will not replace or negate the need for due process in relation to service changes in line with the Department’s Guidance of the Change and Withdrawal of Services. It is not a new layer of bureaucracy through which every service change must pass. It does not duplicate, overlap or impose any change on the existing functions of any of our HSC bodies, nor is it intended to address any perceived deficiency in the current arrangements. Instead, it will provide additional assurance and support public confidence in decision making.

The IRC will be a small, independent and responsive source of expert advice which I can call upon, but only where I consider that a major or controversial proposal for permanent service change requires additional scrutiny.

The Committee will advise me, but ultimately it will be my responsibility to make any necessary decision.