University College London Act 1996

1 Short title

This Act may be cited as the University College London Act 1996.

2 Interpretation

In this Act, unless the subject or context otherwise requires—

• “the appointed day”, in reference to an existing body, means such day as may be agreed by the College and that body under section 3 below;

• “the charter” means the charter incorporating the Royal Free Hospital School of Medicine, granted by His late Majesty King George the Sixth on 9th December 1938 and revised on 21st May 1947;

• “the College” means University College London;

• “existing body” means the Royal Free Hospital School of Medicine, the Institute of Neurology (Queen Square) or The Institute of Child Health.

3 Appointed day

(1) The College and an existing body may agree a day to be the appointed day for the purposes of this Act in its application to that body.

(2) Not less than 28 days before any such day as may be agreed under subsection (1) above, the College shall—

(a) give notice to the Council of the University of London of the day so agreed; and

(b) publish in the London Gazette a notice stating the day so agreed.

4 Dissolution of existing bodies

(1) On the appointed day—

(a) the Royal Free Hospital School of Medicine shall be dissolved and the charter shall be revoked; and

(b) the company incorporating respectively the Institute of Neurology (Queen Square) and The Institute of Child Health shall be dissolved.

(2) The College shall notify the registrar of the effect of paragraph (b) of subsection (1) above and of section 11 below within 14 days of the appointed day; and the registrar shall record the dissolution of the company in question.

(3) In subsection (2) above, “the registrar” has the meaning given in section 744 of the [1985 c. 6.] Companies Act 1985.

5 Transfer of property, etc

All property, real and personal, of every description (including things in action) and all rights and privileges of an existing body which immediately before the appointed day belonged to or were vested in or exercisable by that body shall on the appointed day, without any conveyance, transfer, assignment or other instrument, be transferred to and vested in, or be exercisable by, the College for all the estate and interest therein of that body.

6 Transfer of obligations, etc

All debts and obligations of an existing body shall on the appointed day be transferred and attached to the College and shall thereafter be discharged and satisfied by the College.

7 Savings for agreements, deeds, actions, etc

All agreements, appointments, awards, contracts, deeds and other instruments, and all actions and proceedings and causes of action, which immediately before the appointed day were existing or pending in favour of, or against, an existing body shall on and from the appointed day continue and may be carried into effect enforced and prosecuted by, or in favour of, or against, the College to the same extent and in like manner as if the College instead of the existing body had been party to, or interested in, the same respectively.

8 Construction of bequests, etc., and powers of trustees

(1) Any scheme, will, deed or other instrument, whether made or executed before, on or after the appointed day, which contains any bequest, gift or trust or other benefit in favour of or connected with an existing body shall, on and after the appointed day, be read and have effect as if the College were named therein instead of that body:

Provided that the College shall administer that bequest, gift, trust or other benefit as nearly as may be for the purposes intended in the original scheme, will, deed or other instrument conferring such benefit and pursuant to the purposes of the existing body as those purposes were defined before that body’s dissolution.

(2) Without prejudice to subsection (1) above, any persons who, immediately before the appointed day, had power, for all or any purposes relating to hospital services (including research) or to any other part of the health service associated with hospitals, to assist, support or otherwise benefit an existing body, shall, on and from that day, have power to assist, support or otherwise benefit the College as if it were a hospital or an institution within the health service associated with such a hospital for which those persons were appointed.

(3) In this section “the health service” and “hospital” have the same meaning as in the [1977 c. 49.] National Health Service Act 1977.

9 Transfer of powers to appoint or nominate

Any power or right of an existing body or of any officer or employee of an existing body to appoint or nominate a member of any education authority or of the governing body of any educational, charitable or other institution, shall on the appointed day be transferred to, and may be exercised by, the College or by the officer or employee of the College who in the opinion of the Council of the College most nearly performs the functions formerly performed by the former officer or employee in question.

10 Name of medical school of College

(1) Subject to subsection (2) below, that part of the College constituting its medical school shall henceforth after the appointed day in reference to the Royal Free Hospital School of Medicine be known by the title the “Royal Free and University College Medical School of University College London”:

Provided that the College shall, after the appointed day, administer the respective undertakings of The Institute of Child Health and the Institute of Neurology (Queen Square) within, and as part of, the medical school by those names and titles respectively.

(2) The Council of the College may, from time to time, by special procedure alter the name for the medical school referred to in subsection (1) above:

Provided that no such alteration shall be made for a period of 10 years from the appointed day of merger with the Royal Free Hospital School of Medicine.

(3) In subsection (2) above, “special procedure” shall comprise—

(a) the passing of a resolution by a majority of not less than two-thirds of those present and voting being an absolute majority of all the members of the Council at a meeting of the Council convened by 28 days' written notice specifying the substance of the resolution to be proposed at the meeting; and

(b) the passing of a second such resolution by a like majority at a meeting of the Council similarly convened and held not less than one month nor more than four months after the date of the first-mentioned meeting.

11 Restriction on use of names of existing bodies

No person other than the College shall, within a period of 25 years after the passing of this Act, without the consent of the College, and, in respect of the Royal Free Hospital School of Medicine, without consultation with the Royal Free Hampstead NHS Trust or its successor body, use the names “Royal Free Hospital School of Medicine”, “Institute of Neurology”, or “The Institute of Child Health”.