The Health and Personal Social Services (2001 Act) (Commencement No. 1) Order (Northern Ireland) 2001

Explanatory Note

(This note is not part of the Order.)

This Order brings into operation on various dates certain provisions of the Health and Personal Social Services Act (Northern Ireland) 2001 (“the Act”).

Article 2(1) and (2) of the Order brings into operation on various dates the provisions of Part I of, and Schedule 1 to, the Act relating to social care workers, as follows:

(a) sections 1(1), (3) and (4), and Schedule 1 (the establishment, and functions, of the Council), on 1st June 2001;

(b) for the purpose only of the exercise of any power to make rules and prepare codes of practice, sections 6, 7, 9, 10, 12, 13 and 18, on 1st June 2001; and

(c) sections 2, 20, 21 and 22 (interpretation), on 1st June 2001.

Section 53 of the Act (regulations under section 11 of the Medical Act 1983) and section 55 of, and Schedule 3 to, the Act (sale of medical practices: goodwill), are brought into operation on 2nd July 2001 (Article 2(3)).

Section 54(1) and (2) of the Act (public access to meetings of certain bodies), is brought into operation on 1st June 2001.

Article 2(4) of the Order introduces the Schedule, which sets out provisions of the Act which are brought into operation on 2nd April 2001. Those provisions relate to:

(a) recovery from insurers of the costs of hospital treatment of road traffic accident casualties (Part II of the Act);

(b) indemnity cover for family health services practitioners (section 41);

(c) local representative committees (section 42);

(d) establishment orders (section 43);

(e) exercise of powers (section 44);

(f) public dividend capital (section 45);

(g) existing HSS trusts: conversion of initial loan (section 46);

(h) borrowing, surplus funds and investment (section 47);

(i) disclosure of information by Commissioner for Complaints (section 50);

(j) provision of information as to births and deaths (section 51);

(k) liability of officers of HSS Councils (section 52);

(l) regulation of the profession of pharmaceutical chemist (section 56 and Schedule 4); and

(m) Section 60(3), and Schedule 5, in so far as the repeals in that Schedule are relevant to the above provisions.