32.—(1) Where a medical practitioner who, on 31st March 2004 is providing general medical services under section 19 of the 1978 Act–
(a)enters into a GMS contract pursuant to article 3;
(b)is a partner in a partnership which enters into a GMS contract pursuant to article 4; or
(c)is a legal and beneficial shareholder in a company which enters into a GMS contract under which services are to be provided from 1st April 2004 ,
the contractor’s list of patients for the purposes of that contract shall, on the date on which the contract comes into force, be open to applications from patients in accordance with the term of the contract which gives effect to paragraph 15 of Schedule 5 to the 2004 Regulations except in the circumstances specified in paragraph (2).
(2) The circumstances referred to in paragraph (1) are that–
(a)on 31st March 2004–
(i)in the case of a contract with an individual medical practitioner, that practitioner is exempt from the liability to have persons (other than a specified person) assigned to the practitioner under regulation 4(8) of the Choice Regulations;
(ii)in the case of a contract with a partnership, all of the partners in that partnership who are medical practitioners are exempt from such liability;
(iii)in the case of a contract with a company, all of the medical practitioners who are legal and beneficial shareholders in that company are exempt from such liability; and
(b)the Health Board has determined, in the light of the circumstances in which it granted the exemption or exemptions referred to in paragraph (a), that the contractor’s list of patients should, from the commencement of the contract, be closed to applications for inclusion in the list other than from the immediate family members of registered patients.
(3) Where a contractor’s list of patients is to be closed pursuant to paragraph (2), the GMS contract with that contractor shall contain terms which have the same effect as paragraphs (4) and (5).
(4) The contractor’s list of patients shall remain closed for the period of twelve months from the date on which the contract comes into force unless the contractor notifies the Health Board in writing of its intention to re-open the list before the end of that period and of the date on which it will re open.
(5) A contractor which has re-opened its list under paragraph (4) shall not be entitled to close it again during the period of twelve months referred to in paragraph (4) except under the term of its GMS contract which gives effect to paragraph 29 of Schedule 5 to the 2004 Regulations.