1 Unconfirmed minutes of the inaugural meeting of ... - Antibiotic Action

Unconfirmed minutes of the inaugural meeting of the
All Party Parliamentary Group on Antibiotics held 12 June 2013
Committee Room 13, House of Commons
Present:
Shadow Minister for Health, Mr Jamie Reed, Member of Parliament (Lab)
Mr Kevin Barron, Member of Parliament (Lab)
Mr Zac Goldsmith, MP (Con)
Baroness Masham of Ilton (CB)
In attendance: Professor Laura Piddock, BSAC Chair in Public Engagement, Director, Antibiotic Action
Mrs Tracey Guise, Chief Executive Officer, British Society for Antimicrobial Chemotherapy
Mrs Felisha Johnson, Antibiotic Action Administrator
Professor Nicholas Brown, President, British Society for Antimicrobial Chemotherapy
1 Opening welcome
Jamie Reed welcomed all members to the inaugural meeting of the All Party Parliamentary Group on
Antibiotics (APPG), noting that the inaugural meeting was quorate and that the group met all
qualifying requirements, having secured twenty‐five qualifying members.
2 Election of Officers
Mr Jamie Reed, MP, having been nominated by Kevin Barron MP, and seconded by Baroness
Masham of Ilton, was duly elected as Chair of the APPG.
Mr Kevin Barron, MP, having been nominated by Mr Jamie Reed MP, and seconded by Baroness
Masham of Ilton, was duly elected as Vice Chair to the APPG.
Baroness Masham of Ilton, having been nominated by Mr Jamie Reed MP, and seconded by Mr Kevin
Barron MP, was duly elected as Secretary of the APPG.
Mr. Zak Goldsmith, MP, having been nominated by Mr Jamie Reed MP, and seconded by Mr Kevin
Barron MP, was duly elected as Secretary of the APPG.
It was NOTED that the British Society for Antimicrobial Chemotherapy (BSAC), a registered Charity in
England and Wales, would provide secretariat support to the group. BSAC will promote outputs of the
group (published minutes and reports) will be on a dedicated web page on the Antibiotic Action
initiative website www.antibiotic‐action.com . Provision of support to the group will in‐kind and an
1

indication of the value of the in‐kind services provided will be submitted and recorded at the next
meeting.
3 Objectives
Members of the APPG:
(a)
(b)
CONSIDERED a document outlining the purpose and objectives of the APPG.
APPROVED the following for submission to the Register:
Purpose: To raise the profile of antibiotic resistance, the need to preserve antibiotics
through education on their appropriate use including non‐human uses, thelack of new
treatments for antibacterial infections and to help accelerate efforts to discover, research
and develop new treatments.
Aims and objectives: The overall aim of the APPG on antibiotics is to be recognised
nationally and internationally as an influential and effective partner in the fight against
antibiotic resistance so as to ensure political and financial commitment from the UK
government and other sources to address the issues of antibiotic resistance in proportion to
the global need. Therefore, the objectives are to:
Raise political awareness about antibiotic resistance, non‐human uses, the need for and
the impact of the lack of new treatments.
To make addressing antibiotic resistance a political priority for the UK government, all
political parties and the international community.
Keep MPs and Peers informed with current and emerging issues in antibiotic resistance
and the lack of new treatments.
Hold regular meetings and events and so provide an opportunity for those with a
common interest to meet and debate their views and obtain the views of others.
Deliver the aims of the Group and its members will have a range of activities including
informal gathering such as receptions, formal presentations by organisations at
meetings, letter writing, tabling Early Day Motions and Parliamentary Questions.
Establish working groups to investigate and report on areas of concern to the group.
Liaise with relevant other APPGs including the APPG on Global Tuberculosis and the
APPG on the Pharmaceutical Industry and where appropriate, work in partnership with
other APPGs on cross‐cutting issues.
4 Frequency of meetings of the APPG
It was AGREED that the APPG will meet quarterly as a minimum (including the AGM), and at other
times as required to respond to matters arising that require early address.
5 Topics for next and future meetings
Members of the group AGREED the following agenda for action:
2

A
Next meeting: To invite the Chief Medical Officer for England and Wales, Dame Sally Davies to
address the APPG about the Department of Health 5‐year Strategy on Antimicrobial
Resistance, the release date for which is to be advised but anticipated to be between July and
September 2013. Ideally, the next meeting should be aligned to formal publication and
release of the strategy. The Chair will request that the APPG on Science and Technology and
other APPGs with an interest in this area advertise this meeting to their memberships.
B Future meetings: The topics will be informed by discussion of the Department of Health 5‐
year Strategy on Antimicrobial Resistance. Key individuals to engage with will include the Minister for
Universities and Science, Mr David Willetts MP, Public Health Minister, Anna Soubry, MP, a
representative from Defra and representatives from pharmaceutical industry; the latter to discuss
market failure of antibiotics.
6 Potential for international collaborations
Members of the APPG discussed what opportunities there were for international collaboration and
what the timing of such collaboration might be. It was:
A
B
NOTED that there are numerous public, professional and political campaigns and initiatives
within Europe, the United States and further afield, many of whom – such as the PEW Trust
in the US and ReAct in Sweden, with whom the Secretariat already actively engages.
AGREED that the group would explore interactions with overseas groups should be explored
and a document outlining the various political and public facing initiatives will be circulated to
the group for consideration at a future meeting.
7 Any other business
There being no further business the meeting was declared closed.
‐End‐
3