Health Act 1999

11 Local representative committees

(1) Section 44 of the 1977 Act (recognition of local representative committees) is amended as provided in subsections (2) to (4).

(2) Before subsection (1) there is inserted—

“(A1) A Health Authority may recognise a committee formed for their area which they are satisfied is representative of—

(a) the medical practitioners providing general medical services or general ophthalmic services in that area;

(b) those medical practitioners and the deputy medical practitioners for that area; or

(c) the medical practitioners mentioned in—

(i) paragraph (a) above; or

(ii) paragraph (b) above,

and the section 28C medical practitioners for that area,

and any committee so recognised shall be called the Local Medical Committee for the area.

(B1) A Health Authority may recognise a committee formed for their area which they are satisfied is representative of—

(a) the dental practitioners providing general dental services in that area;

(b) those dental practitioners and the deputy dental practitioners for that area; or

(c) the dental practitioners mentioned in—

(i) paragraph (a) above; or

(ii) paragraph (b) above,

and the section 28C dental practitioners for that area,

and any committee so recognised shall be called the Local Dental Committee for the area.”

(3) In subsection (1), paragraphs (a) and (b) and “the Local Medical Committee, the Local Dental Committee,” are omitted.

(4) After subsection (2) there is inserted—

“(3) For the purposes of this section and section 45 below, a person who meets the condition in subsection (4) below—

(a) is a deputy medical practitioner for the area of a Health Authority if he is a medical practitioner who assists a medical practitioner providing general medical services in that area in the provision of those services but is not himself on a list;

(b) is a section 28C medical practitioner for the area of a Health Authority if he is a medical practitioner who provides or performs personal medical services in accordance with arrangements made under section 28C above by the Health Authority (whether with himself or another);

(c) is a deputy dental practitioner for the area of a Health Authority if he is a dental practitioner who assists a dental practitioner providing general dental services in that area in the provision of those services but is not himself on a list;

(d) is a section 28C dental practitioner for the area of a Health Authority if he is a dental practitioner who provides or performs personal dental services in accordance with arrangements made under section 28C above by the Health Authority (whether with himself or another).

(4) The condition referred to in subsection (3) above is that the person concerned has notified the Health Authority that he wishes to be represented under this section by the appropriate committee for their area (and has not notified them that he wishes to cease to be so represented).

(5) For the purposes of subsection (3) above—

(a) a person is to be treated as assisting a medical practitioner or dental practitioner in the provision of services if he is employed by that practitioner for that purpose or if he acts as his deputy in providing those services; and

(b) “list” has the same meaning as in section 46 below.”

(5) Section 45 of that Act (functions of local representative committees) is amended as provided in subsections (6) to (8).

(6) For subsection (1) there is substituted—

“(1) Regulations may require Health Authorities—

(a) in the exercise of their functions under this Part of this Act to consult committees recognised by them under section 44 above,

(b) in the exercise of any of their functions which relate to arrangements under section 28C above to consult committees recognised by them under section 44(A1)(c) or (B1)(c) above,

on such occasions and to such extent as may be prescribed.

(1A) The power conferred by subsection (1) above is without prejudice to any other power to require a Health Authority to consult any committee recognised under section 44 above.

(1B) Committees recognised under section 44 above shall exercise such other functions as may be prescribed.

(1C) A committee recognised for an area under subsection (A1)(b) or (c) or (B1)(b) or (c) of section 44 above shall, in respect of each year, determine the amount of its administrative expenses for that year attributable —

(a) in the case of a committee recognised under subsection (A1)(b) or (c)(ii) of that section, to the deputy medical practitioners for the area;

(b) in the case of a committee recognised under subsection (A1)(c) of that section, to the section 28C medical practitioners for the area;

(c) in the case of a committee recognised under subsection (B1)(b) or (c)(ii) of that section, to the deputy dental practitioners for the area;

(d) in the case of a committee recognised under subsection (B1)(c) of that section, to the section 28C dental practitioners for the area.”

(7) In subsection (2), “(including travelling and subsistence allowances payable to its members)” is omitted.

(8) After subsection (3) there is inserted—

“(4) Where a committee has made a determination under subsection (1C) above, it shall apportion the amount so determined among the deputy medical practitioners, section 28C medical practitioners, deputy dental practitioners or section 28C dental practitioners, as the case may be, for the area and each such practitioner shall pay in accordance with the committee’s directions the amount so apportioned to him.

(5) References in this section to administrative expenses of a committee include references to travelling and subsistence allowances payable to its members; but the reference in subsection (2) above to a committee’s administrative expenses does not include so much of the committee’s administrative expenses as are determined under subsection (1C) above to be attributable to any practitioners mentioned in that subsection.”