Members of the public are to have a say on what drugs and treatments should be available on prescription.

A "Citizens' Council" is to be set up by the National Institute for Clinical Excellence.

The group says it wants to hear what lay people have to say about the way their health service operates.

It is looking for 30 people from a cross section of the community in England and Wales to give their opinions on the services provided by the NHS.

The council will meet twice a year for three consecutive days and be paid �150 a day.

'Gimmick'

The organisation says that while it already gets advice from some of the best health professionals it wants to involve the wider public in its work.

The BBC's Jane Warr says the Kennedy report into the deaths of babies at the Bristol Royal Infirmary, which said patients should not be kept in the dark, served to reinforce this view.

She added: "While some patients' groups have welcomed the new initiative, others say it is simply a gimmick."

The government has made no secret of its desire to scrap the current Community Health Councils and replace them with patients' forums, though a rebellion by Labour MPs in January prevented this from happening.