National Health Service Reorganisation Act 1973

8 Local advisory committees

(1) Where the Secretary of State is satisfied that a committee formed for the region of a Regional Health Authority is representative of persons of any of the following categories, namely—

(a) the medical practitioners of the region ; or

(b) the dental practitioners of the region ; or

(c) the nurses and midwives of the region ; or

(d) the registered pharmacists of the region ; or

(e) the ophthalmic and dispensing opticians of the region,

then, subject to the following subsection, it shall be the duty of the Secretary of State to recognise the committee; and a committee recognised in pursuance of this subsection shall be called the Regional Medical, Dental, Nursing and Midwifery, Pharmaceutical or Optical Committee, as the case may be, for the region in question.

(2) Where the Secretary of State is satisfied that a committee formed for the region of a Regional Health Authority is representative of—

(a) any category of persons (other than a category mentioned in the preceding subsection) who provide services forming part of the health service ; or

(b) two or more of any of the categories of persons mentioned in the preceding subsection and the preceding paragraph,

and that it is in the interests of the health service to recognise the committee, it shall be the duty of the Secretary of State to recognise it in pursuance of this subsection and determine that it shall be known by a name specified in the determination; and where a committee recognised in pursuance of this subsection appears to the Secretary of State to represent categories of persons which include a category mentioned in the preceding subsection, he shall not be required by virtue of that subsection to recognise a committee representing persons of that category.

(3) The Secretary of State may, by notice in writing served on any member of a committee recognised in pursuance of this section, withdraw his recognition of the committee if he considers it expedient to do so—

(a) where the committee is recognised in pursuance of subsection (1) or (2)(a) of this section, with a view to recognising in pursuance of subsection (2)(b) of this section another committee representing categories of persons which include the category represented by the recognised committee;

(b) where the committee is recognised in pursuance of the said subsection (2)(b), with a view to recognising in pursuance of any of the provisions of subsection (1) or (2) of this section other committees which together are representative of the categories in question.

(4) It shall be the duty of a committee recognised by reference to the region of a Regional Health Authority in pursuance of subsection (1) or (2) of this section—

(a) to advise the Authority on the provision by the Authority of services of the kind provided by the categories of persons of whom the committee is representative; and

(b) to perform such other functions as may be prescribed;

and it shall be the duty of the Authority to consult the committee with respect to such matters and on such occasions as may be prescribed.

(5) A Regional Health Authority may defray such expenses incurred by such a committee in performing the duty imposed on the committee by the preceding subsection as the Authority considers reasonable (which may include travelling and other allowances and compensation for loss of remunerative time for members of the committee at such rates as the Secretary of State may determine with the approval of the Minister for the Civil Service).

(6) The preceding provisions of this section shall have effect in relation to Wales as if—

(a) for references to a region of an Authority there were substituted references to Wales ;

(b) for the words " Regional Medical" in subsection (1) there were substituted the words " Welsh Medical ";

(c) for the words " the Authority " in both places in subsection (4)(a) and for those words and the words " A Regional Health Authority" in subsection (5) there were substituted the words " the Secretary of State "; and

(d) in subsection (4) the words following paragraph (b) were omitted.

(7) Subsections (1) to (5) of this section shall have effect in relation to an Area Health Authority of which the area is in England or Wales with the substitution for the word " Regional " of the word " Area " and for the word " region " of the word " area ".