Royal Decree 557/2000 of 27 April, which restructures the ministerial departments, given by virtue of the authorization granted to the President of the Government by Article 2.2.j of Law 50/1997 of 27 November 1997, of the Government, it establishes various deletions and modifications in the field of ministerial departments.

In Article 1 of the aforementioned Royal Decree, the ministerial departments are established, including the Ministry of Health and Consumer Affairs.

In order to facilitate the development of the Government's policy programme in the field of health and consumption, it has been considered necessary to amend certain governing bodies and autonomous bodies attached to the Ministry of Health Health and Consumer Affairs.

The new organization of the Ministry responds to criteria of simplification and administrative rationalization, favoring the functionality of the National Health System, as a fundamental part of our protection system. social.

also with these organizational changes, cooperation with the Autonomous Communities and with the social agents is promoted, all in order to promote the promotion of increasing levels of social welfare for all the citizens.

The strengthening of the Interterritorial Council of the National Health System and its Advisory Committee, as well as a new form of organic linkage of the Carlos III Health Institute, will allow new advances in cooperation, in dialogue and scientific and technical progress in the field of health.

Responding to this same orientation, the previous General Secretariat for Health Care is renamed the General Secretariat for Health Management and Cooperation, as a management body in the service of the National Health System. The organization and the media of the Secretariat are strengthened, while maintaining the functions of its holder as Executive Chairman of INHEALTH.

At the same time, the organization of INHEALTH is modified to make its configuration more agile and simple, taking into account the experiences that have accumulated since its creation in 1979. The four Directorates-General of the National Institute of Health (Health Organisation and Planning; Specialized Primary Care; Budgets and Investments; Human Resources) are deleted and replaced by a single Directorate General of INHEALTH, immediately dependent on its Executive Chairman. The powers conferred on it by Article 10 of Royal Decree 1893/1996 of 2 August 1996 and other concordant provisions are maintained.

Likewise, the willingness to cooperate with the consumer and user movement and with the competent authorities of the Autonomous Communities, the desire to carry out integrative policies, are the foundation of the previous one. Dirección General de Salud Pública becomes known as Dirección General de Salud Pública y Consumo. This Directorate-General, through the National Institute of Consumption and the Consumer Sectoral Conference, will contribute to facilitate the achievement of improvements in the quality of life of citizens.

Under the initiative of the Minister for Health and Consumer Affairs, on the proposal of the Minister of Public Administration and after deliberation by the Council of Ministers at its meeting on 19 May 2000,

D I S P O N G O:

Article 1. Basic structure of the Ministry of Health and Consumer Affairs.

The Ministry of Health and Consumer Affairs is structured in the following management bodies:

1. The Deputy Secretary for Health and Consumer Affairs, on which the following management bodies depend:

(a) The Technical General Secretariat.

b) The Directorate-General for Human Resources and Economic and Budgetary Services, which exercises the functions corresponding to these matters in relation to the whole of the Department.

c) The General Directorate of Pharmacy and Healthcare Products.

(d) The Directorate-General for Public Health and Consumer Affairs, which assumes the functions relating to epidemiological information, health promotion and disease prevention; external health, environmental health control and sanitary and sanitary requirements for food and products for human use and consumption; scientific and technical support to Consumer Services and the functions of information to the consumer, through the National Institute of Consumption.

2. The General Secretariat for Health Management and Cooperation, with the rank of Sub-Secretariat, on which the following management bodies depend:

(a) The Permanent Secretariat of the Interterritorial Council of the National Health System and its Advisory Committee, with the rank of Directorate-General, to which the technical and administrative support to the Advisory Committee corresponds, to the committees, presentations and working groups set up by the Council.

b) The General Directorate of Institutional Relations and High Inspection, which corresponds to the exercise of the high inspection of the National Health System which the State assigns Chapter IV of Title II of the General Law of Health; likewise, it assumes the coordination of the relations of the management bodies and units of the Department with the Public Administrations and the Local Corporations, without prejudice to the competences of the Ministry of Public Administrations, and the follow-up of its acts and provisions.

c) The Directorate-General for Health Planning, which corresponds to the planning and coordination of the actions entrusted to the definition and to the assurance of the benefits of the National Health System; the Evaluation of the financial needs and distribution of budgetary resources; the elaboration of the Health Plan of the Ministry of Health and Consumer and in collaboration with the Autonomous Communities the elaboration of the Integrated Health Plan, the planning of the necessary resources for the health care of the National System of Health, the elaboration of the criteria for the achievement of equity in the allocation of resources and the fixing of the bases for the establishment of concerts for health care.

3. As a body of immediate support to the Minister, there is a Cabinet, in accordance with Article 10.1 of Law 50/1997 of 27 November, of the Government, and Article 12.2 of Royal Decree 839/1996 of 10 May.

Article 2. Admembership of public bodies.

1. The Ministry of Health and Consumer Affairs is assigned the National Institute of Health, which maintains the powers conferred on it by Article 10 of Royal Decree 1893/1996 of 2 August, and its current organic structure without further changes. those resulting from the present Royal Decree.

Directly dependent on its Executive Chairman will be an INHEALTH Directorate-General.

2. The following autonomous bodies are also attached to the Ministry of Health and Consumer Affairs:

a) Instituto de Salud Carlos III.

b) Spanish Medicines Agency.

c) National Institute of Consumption.

3. The Carlos III Health Institute is attached to the Ministry through the General Secretariat for Health Management and Cooperation.

4. The Spanish Medicines Agency is attached to the Ministry through the Health and Consumer Secretariat.

5. The National Institute of Consumption is attached to the Ministry through the Directorate General of Public Health and Consumer Affairs.

Single additional disposition. Removal of management bodies.

The following governing bodies are deleted:

1. At the Department's scope:

(a) The General Secretariat for Health Care.

2. At the National Institute of Health:

a) The General Directorate of Health Organization and Planning.

b) The General Directorate of Primary and Specialized Care.

c) The Directorate-General for Budgets and Investments.

(d) The Directorate-General for Human Resources.

Single transient arrangement. Maintenance of organs and functions.

1. Without prejudice to the provisions of the bodies set up in this Royal Decree, the other management bodies shall retain their structure and functions as long as they are not amended.

2. Similarly, lower-ranking bodies shall be understood to be subsist and shall maintain their present name, structure and functions, as long as the appropriate organic changes are not made.

Single repeal provision. Regulatory repeal.

As many provisions of the same or lower rank are repealed, they oppose the provisions of this Royal Decree.

Final disposition first. Budgetary changes.

The Ministry of Finance will make the necessary budgetary changes to comply with the provisions of this Royal Decree, which in no case will be able to generate an increase in public spending.

Final disposition second. Development of the basic organic structure.

The Minister of Public Administration, within one month and at the initiative of the Minister of Health and Consumer Affairs, will raise to the Council of Ministers the Project of Royal Decree for the development of the basic organic structure provided for in this Royal Decree.

Final disposition third. Entry into force.

This Royal Decree will enter into force on the day of its publication in the "Official Gazette of the State".

Given in Madrid to May 19, 2000.

JOHN CARLOS R.

The Minister of Public Administration,

JESUS POSADA MORENO