Local Government (Scotland) Act 1947

79 County medical officer of health and county sanitary inspector.

(1) Every county council shall appoint a medical officer who shall be called the medical officer of health of the county and an officer who shall be called the sanitary inspector of the county, and shall, subject to the approval of the Secretary of State, regulate the duties of the medical officer arid sanitary inspector and their relations to each other, and may pay such officers such reasonable salaries as the council may determine.

(2) A person shall not be appointed medical officer of health of a county unless he is a registered medical practitioner, and is registered on the medical register as the holder of a diploma in sanitary science, public health or state medicine.

(3) Except with the sanction of the Secretary of State, no person shall be appointed sanitary inspector of a county unless he possesses such qualifications as may be prescribed by the Secretary of State.

(4) The names and addresses of the medical officer of health and the sanitary inspector appointed under this section shall be reported by the county council to the Secretary of State immediately on any such appointment being made.

(5) Subject to the provisions of this Part of this Act relating to officers holding office at the commencement of this Act, the offices of medical officer of health of a county and sanitary inspector of a county shall not be held by the same person or by persons who stand in relation to one another as partners or as employer and employee.

(6) Subject to the provisions of subsection (7) of section eighty-seven of this Act, the medical officer of health of a county or the sanitary inspector of a county shall not hold any other appointment or engage in private practice or employment without the written consent of the county council.

(7) Neither the medical officer of health nor the sanitary inspector of a county shall be removable from office except by or with the sanction of the Secretary of State.

(8) The sanitary inspector of a county shall be the inspector of common lodging-houses within the meaning of the Public Health Acts.

(9) The medical officer of health of a county and the sanitary inspector of a county shall make to the Secretary of State such annual and other reports and returns as he may require, and such reports and returns shall be in such form as he may direct.

(10) A county council may appoint for the purpose of this section two or more medical officers of health or two or more sanitary inspectors:

Provided that—

(a) there shall be only one person holding the statutory office of medical officer of health for any particular part of the county; and

(b) there shall, save as hereinafter provided, be only one person holding the statutory office of sanitary inspector for any particular part of the county, so however that the council may, if they consider it necessary, appoint two or more sanitary inspectors for the county or any particular part of the county so long as there is assigned to each of the sanitary inspectors so appointed a separate specified part of the duties pertaining to the office of sanitary inspector ;

and where any appointments are made under this subsection the other provisions of this section shall apply subject to the necessary modifications.