2.—(1) A person who, before 31st October 2003, is awarded a recognised overseas qualification which under the old section 19 of the Act would entitle him to be—U.K.
(a)fully registered under that section; or
(b)provisionally registered under the old section 21 of the Act and, on satisfying the requirements under the old section 20(2)(a) of the Act as to experience, to be fully registered under the old section 19 of the Act,
shall if he applies or has applied to the Registrar in accordance with sub-paragraph (2) or (3) below be eligible for full registration or provisional registration and subsequently full registration under the old section 19 or, as the case may be, the old section 21, as if they were still in force.
(2) An application for full registration under the old section 19 of the Act shall (except where sub-paragraph (3) applies) be made not later than 31st December 2003.
(3) An application for provisional registration under the old section 21 of the Act shall be made not later than 31st December 2003 and subsequent to that application an application for full registration may be made at any time.
(4) In this paragraph, “recognised overseas qualification” has the meaning given in the old section 19 of the Act.
3.—(1) In relation to applications under the old sections 19 and 21 of the Act—U.K.
(a)the General Council may continue to provide facilities for testing the knowledge of English of an applicant; and
(b)the old section 30(1) and the new section 30(1) of the Act shall apply as if the reference in paragraph (a) to section 19 or 21 included a reference to the old section 19 or 21 of the Act.
(2) Until article 6(11) of this Order comes into force—
(a)for section 28(2)(b) there shall be substituted—
“(b)such number of other persons (who may, but need not, be members of the General Council) as the Council may by rules prescribe and including at least—
(i)one person who is neither registered with the General Council nor a holder of any qualification registrable under this Act, and
(ii)one person who is or has been registered under Part III of the Medical Act 1956, under section 18 or 22 of the Medical Act 1978 or under section 19, 21A, 22 or 25 of this Act.”;
and
(b)the old section 29 of the Act shall be amended as follows—
(i)in subsection (2)(c) for the words from “by virtue of section 25” to “section 19 above” substitute “ under section 25 above that he be registered under that section ”, and
(ii)in subsection (3)—
(aa)in paragraph (a) for “section 20” substitute “ section 19(1)(b) ”,
(bb)omit paragraph (b), and
(cc)in paragraph (c) omit “(a), (b),”.
(3) Notwithstanding the changes to the Review Board as a result of the coming into force of sub-paragraph (2)(a) above, the new Review Board resulting from those changes shall complete any case that is being considered but has not been completed by the old Review Board before the coming into force of that sub-paragraph.
(4) Any application that is being considered by the Review Board on the date of the coming into force of article 6(11) of this Order shall be dealt with by the Review Board in accordance with the General Medical Council (Review Board for Overseas Qualified Practitioners Rules) Order of Council 1979 M1, unless the person whose application is being considered requests that the application be transferred to a Registration Appeals Panel.
(5) If, at the date of the coming into force of article 6(11) of this Order—
(a)a decision falling within section 29(2) of the Act has been made but an application to the Review Board under section 29(1) of the Act has not been made and the period for making such an application has not expired, if any such application is made it shall be considered by a Registration Appeals Panel; or
(b)any application under section 29(1) has been made but the Review Board has not started to consider it, that case shall be considered instead by a Registration Appeals Panel.
(6) After the coming into force of article 6(11) of this Order, if a person makes an application for full registration under the old section 19 of the Act in accordance with paragraph 2(3) above, having previously been provisionally registered under the old section 21 of the Act, any decision not to direct that he shall be registered shall be an appealable registration decision for the purposes of Schedule 3A to the Act.
Marginal Citations
4. All entries in the overseas list immediately prior to the coming into force of article 9(1) of this Order shall be transferred to the principal list.U.K.
5.—(1) Any person who is fully registered or provisionally registered pursuant to the old section 19 or 21 of the Act after the coming into force of article 9(1) of this Order shall be entitled to be included in the principal list.U.K.
(2) If a person is successful in an appeal against a decision taken to erase his name from the overseas list before the coming into force of article 9(1) of this Order, the committee may, if they think fit, direct that he be included in the principal list.