Co-operation and planning
Section 6 Duty of health boards and local authorities to co-operate
13.This section places a requirement on health boards and local authorities, (1)in carrying out their functions under this Act, to co-operate with any relevant person who appears to have an interest in or a function relating to the protection of public health.
14.Subsection (2) defines a “relevant person” as a health board; a special health board; a local authority; the common services agency; and the Scottish Ministers. The section is without prejudice to existing duties of co-operation set out in section 13 of the 1978 Act.
Section 7 Joint public health protection plans
15.The section imposes a duty on each health board to prepare plans relating to the protection of public health in its area as the board considers appropriate. Subsection (2) states that in preparing a plan, a health board must consult the relevant local authority.
16.The plan must be prepared in accordance with guidance from the Scottish Ministers, and can be incorporated within any other plan which the health board is required to prepare under any other enactment. There is a duty on the health board which prepares the plan to publish it, either as a stand alone document, or as part of any other plan in which it is incorporated. The health board is empowered to vary any plan prepared under this section and must then publish it, as varied. “Relevant local authority” is defined as the local authority for the area in relation to which the board is constituted or, where the area of that health board includes the areas of two or more local authorities, both or all of those authorities.