The Health and Personal Social Services (Northern Ireland) Order 1991

[F1 22A.— (1) The Department may by direction provide for specified social care and children functions to cease to be exercisable by an HSC trust and to be exercisable instead by— N.I.

(a) the Department;

(b) another HSC trust;

(c) another specified person or body.

(2) In this paragraph—

“specified” means specified in a direction under sub-paragraph (1);

“substituted person or body” means a person or body specified in a direction under sub-paragraph (1) as a person or body that is to exercise functions by virtue of the direction.

(3) A direction under sub-paragraph (1) comes into operation on such date as may be specified.

(4) A direction under sub-paragraph (1) may contain such transitional provisions as the Department thinks appropriate, including in particular provisions—

(a) for specified acts done by or in relation to the HSC trust or a substituted person or body at any time before the direction comes into operation to have effect after that time for specified purposes as if done by or in relation to a substituted person or body or, as the case may be, the HSC trust;

(b) for any reference to the HSC trust or a substituted person or body in any statutory provision, statutory document (within the meaning of section 1(e) of the Interpretation Act (Northern Ireland) 1954) or order or direction of a court to have effect for specified purposes as a reference to a substituted person or body or, as the case may be, the HSC trust;

and any such transitional provisions have effect, for those purposes, in relation to such acts, statutory provisions, statutory documents, orders or directions.

(5) A substituted person or body is—

(a) entitled to enforce any rights acquired in the exercise of any functions by virtue of a direction under sub-paragraph (1), and

(b) liable in respect of any liabilities incurred (including any liabilities in tort) in the exercise of any such functions;

and all proceedings for the enforcement of such rights or liabilities are to be brought by or against that person or body in its own name.

(6) References in any other statutory provision to functions of an HSC trust or any specified person or body include references to functions exercisable by virtue of a direction under sub-paragraph (1).

(7) The Department may by regulations provide that paragraph 6(2) to (8) (power of Department to give directions and guidance) are to apply, subject to such modifications as may be prescribed, as between the Department and a substituted person or body in relation to such social care and children functions as may be prescribed.

(8) The Department may by regulations make such amendments to any statutory provision as appear to the Department to be necessary or expedient to facilitate, or to be otherwise consequential on, the exercise of functions by virtue of a direction under sub-paragraph (1).]

F1 Sch. 3 Pt. 3A inserted (1.4.2022) by Health and Social Care Act (Northern Ireland) 2022 (c. 3), s. 8(1)(b), Sch. 1 para. 148(8); S.R. 2022/102, art. 2(b)