(1)After section 16 of [1977 c. 49] the National Health Service Act 1977 there is inserted—
(1)The Secretary of State may establish bodies to be known as Primary Care Trusts with a view, in particular, to their—
(a)providing or arranging for the provision of services under this Part of this Act,
(b)exercising functions in relation to the provision of general medical services under Part II of this Act, and
(c)providing services in accordance with section 28C arrangements.
(2)Each Primary Care Trust shall be established by an order made by him (referred to in this Act as a PCT order).
(3)A Primary Care Trust shall be established for the area specified in its PCT order and shall exercise its functions in accordance with any prohibitions or restrictions in the order.
(4)If any consultation requirements apply, they must be complied with before a PCT order is made.
(5)In this section, “consultation requirements” means requirements about consultation contained in regulations (and the regulations must impose requirements where a PCT order establishes a Primary Care Trust).
(6)Schedule 5A to this Act (which makes further provision about Primary Care Trusts) shall have effect.
(1)This section applies to functions which are exercisable by a Primary Care Trust under or by virtue of this Act (including this section), the [1990 c. 19] National Health Service and Community Care Act 1990 or any prescribed provision of any other Act.
(2)Regulations may provide for any functions to which this section applies to be exercised—
(a)by another Primary Care Trust,
(b)by a Special Health Authority, or
(c)jointly with any one or more of the following: Health Authorities, NHS trusts and other Primary Care Trusts.
(3)Regulations may provide—
(a)for any functions to which this section applies to be exercised, on behalf of the Primary Care Trust by whom they are exercisable, by a committee, sub-committee or officer of the trust,
(b)for any functions which, under this section, are exercisable by a Special Health Authority to be exercised, on behalf of that authority, by a committee, sub-committee or officer of the authority,
(c)for any functions which, under this section, are exercisable by a Primary Care Trust jointly with one or more Health Authorities or other Primary Care Trusts (but not with any NHS trusts) to be exercised, on behalf of the health service bodies in question, by a joint committee or joint sub-committee.”
(2)Schedule 1 (which inserts the new Schedule 5A in the 1977 Act) is to have effect.