Health boards
Section 2 Duty of health boards to protect public health
8.This section requires each health board to continue to make provision, or secure that provision is made, for protecting public health in its area, without prejudice to its general duty to promote the improvement of the health of the people of Scotland under section 2A of the 1978 Act. Functions under this Act are also to be construed as functions conferred on health boards by the Scottish Ministers under section 2(1) of the 1978 Act.
Section 3 Designation of competent persons by health boards
9.This section places a duty on health boards to designate a sufficient number of persons for the purpose of exercising certain functions relating to public health under the Act and other enactments in each health board area. Persons designated under this section are to be known as “health board competent persons”. Subsection (4) provides that the (1)(3)Scottish Ministers may, by regulations, prescribe the persons or classes of person who may be designated as health board competent persons; the qualifications, training and other requirements to demonstrate competency which they must meet; and any other matters relating to the terms and conditions of such a designation as the Scottish Ministers consider appropriate. The regulations may provide that certain functions of health board competent persons may be carried out only by those with particular qualifications, training or other prescribed competencies. The regulations will be made by negative procedure.
