Statistics and Registration Service Act 2007

Consequential

55 Cessation of Office for National Statistics etc

The following shall cease to function on the commencement of this section—

(a) the Office for National Statistics;

(b) the Statistics Commission.

56 Transfers etc from ONS to the Board

(1) Subject to subsection (6), on commencement of this section the property, rights and liabilities of the Office for National Statistics and of the National Statistician shall by virtue of this section vest in the Board.

(2) Subsection (1) shall operate in relation to property, rights and liabilities—

(a) whether or not they would otherwise be capable of being transferred,

(b) without any instrument or other formality being required, and

(c) irrespective of any requirement for consent that would otherwise apply.

(3) Anything done by, on behalf of or in relation to the Office for National Statistics or the National Statistician which has effect immediately before the commencement of this section shall continue to have effect as if done by, on behalf of or in relation to the Board.

(4) Anything (including legal proceedings) which immediately before commencement of this section is in the process of being done by, on behalf of or in relation to the Office for National Statistics or the National Statistician may be continued by, on behalf of or in relation to the Board.

(5) So far as is necessary or appropriate in consequence of the preceding provisions of this section, on and after commencement of this section a reference to the Office for National Statistics or the National Statistician in an agreement (whether written or not), instrument or other document shall be treated as a reference to the Board.

(6) The Minister for the Cabinet Office may make a scheme or schemes identifying property, rights and liabilities of the Office for National Statistics or the National Statistician (or both) which shall not vest in the Board on commencement of this section but shall vest in the Registrar General for England and Wales or a Minister of the Crown (including the Minister for the Cabinet Office).

(7) A scheme under subsection (6) shall have effect—

(a) in so far as it excludes anything from the operation of subsection (1), on commencement of this section, and

(b) in so far as it vests anything in the Registrar General or Minister of the Crown, on such date as may be specified in the scheme.

(8) A scheme under subsection (6) may operate in relation to property, rights and liabilities as specified in subsection (2)(a), (b) and (c).

(9) A scheme under subsection (6) may include consequential and incidental provision and may in particular—

(a) make provision for the continuing effect of things done by the Office for National Statistics or the National Statistician before commencement of this section;

(b) make provision for the continuation of things (including legal proceedings) in the process of being done by, on behalf of or in relation to the Office for National Statistics or the National Statistician immediately before commencement of this section;

(c) make provision for references to the Office for National Statistics or the National Statistician in an agreement (whether written or not), instrument or other document to be treated as references to the Registrar General or a Minister of the Crown;

(d) make provision for shared ownership, use or access.

(10) Where a scheme has been made under subsection (6), the Board and the Registrar General or the Minister of the Crown may agree in writing to modify the scheme (and any such modification shall have effect as from the date the original scheme came into effect).

(11) In this section “the National Statistician” means the National Statistician who holds office immediately before the commencement of section 1.

57 Transfers etc from Registrar General to the Board

(1) On commencement of this section the property, rights and liabilities of the Registrar General for England and Wales held or incurred in relation to the functions transferred under section 25 (the “transferred functions”) shall by virtue of this section vest in the Board.

(2) Subsection (1) shall operate in relation to property, rights and liabilities—

(a) whether or not they would otherwise be capable of being transferred,

(b) without any instrument or other formality being required, and

(c) irrespective of any requirement for consent that would otherwise apply.

(3) Anything done by, on behalf of or in relation to the Registrar General in respect of the transferred functions which has effect immediately before commencement of this section shall continue to have effect as if done by, on behalf of or in relation to the Board.

(4) Anything (including legal proceedings) which immediately before commencement of this section is in the process of being done by, on behalf of or in relation to the Registrar General in respect of, or connected with, the transferred functions, may be continued by, on behalf of or in relation to the Board.

(5) So far as is necessary or appropriate in consequence of the preceding provisions of this section, on and after commencement of this section a reference to the Registrar General in an agreement (whether written or not), instrument or other document shall be treated as a reference to the Board.

58 Transfers etc from Ministers of the Crown to the Board

(1) The Minister for the Cabinet Office may make a scheme or schemes transferring property, rights and liabilities from a Minister of the Crown to the Board and such transfer shall have effect in accordance with the terms of the scheme.

(2) A scheme under subsection (1) may operate in relation to property, rights and liabilities as specified in section 56(2)(a), (b) and (c).

(3) A scheme under subsection (1) may include consequential and incidental provision and may in particular—

(a) make provision for the continuing effect of things done by the Minister of the Crown in relation to anything transferred by the scheme;

(b) make provision for the continuation of things (including legal proceedings) in the process of being done by, on behalf of or in relation to the Minister of the Crown in relation to anything transferred by the scheme;

(c) make provision for references to the Minister of the Crown in an agreement (whether written or not), instrument or other document in relation to anything transferred by the scheme to be treated as references to the Board;

(d) make provision for shared ownership, use or access.

(4) Where a scheme has been made under subsection (1), the Minister of the Crown and the Board may agree in writing to modify the scheme (and any such modification shall have effect as from the date the original scheme came into effect).

59 Provision of services and facilities by the Board

(1) The Board may provide services and facilities to—

(a) the Registrar General for England and Wales in order to enable him more efficiently to carry out his functions,

(b) the Boundary Commission for England in order to enable it more efficiently to carry out its functions, and

(c) the Secretary of State or another public authority in order to enable him or it more efficiently to carry out his or its functions relating to the registration in England or Wales of persons to whom primary medical services are or have been provided.

(2) The services and facilities referred to in subsection (1) include in particular the making available of premises, computer systems and administrative services.

(3) In subsection (1)(c) “primary medical services” means—

(a) in relation to registration in England, services which are primary medical services for the purposes of the National Health Service Act 2006 (c. 41), and

(b) in relation to registration in Wales, services which are primary medical services for the purposes of the National Health Service (Wales) Act 2006 (c. 42).

60 Consequential amendments

(1) Schedule 3 (which makes amendments consequential on the conferral on the Board of functions previously exercised by the Office for National Statistics) has effect.

(2) Section 57 of the Local Electoral Administration and Registration Services (Scotland) Act 2006 (asp 14) (which provides for a central register kept by the Registrar General for Scotland for health and local authority purposes) is amended as follows—

(a) in subsection (2), in paragraph (d), after “department” insert “or an NHS body”;

(b) after that subsection, insert—

“(2A) In subsection (2)(d), “NHS body” has the same meaning as it has (apart from in Schedule 15) in the National Health Service Act 2006 (c. 41).”