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					<dc:identifier>http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2022/31/section/149</dc:identifier><dc:title>Health and Care Act 2022</dc:title><dc:language>en</dc:language><dc:publisher>Statute Law Database</dc:publisher><dc:modified>2025-11-18</dc:modified><dc:contributor>Expert Participation</dc:contributor><dct:valid>2025-07-07</dct:valid>
					
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				</ukm:Metadata><Primary><Body DocumentURI="http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2022/31/body" IdURI="http://www.legislation.gov.uk/id/ukpga/2022/31/body" NumberOfProvisions="322" NumberFormat="default" RestrictExtent="E+W+S+N.I." RestrictStartDate="2025-07-07"><Part DocumentURI="http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2022/31/part/5" IdURI="http://www.legislation.gov.uk/id/ukpga/2022/31/part/5" NumberOfProvisions="25" id="part-5" RestrictExtent="E+W+S+N.I." RestrictStartDate="2022-07-01"><Number>PART 5</Number><Title>Virginity testing and hymenoplasty offences</Title><Chapter DocumentURI="http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2022/31/part/5/chapter/2" IdURI="http://www.legislation.gov.uk/id/ukpga/2022/31/part/5/chapter/2" NumberOfProvisions="12" id="part-5-chapter-2" RestrictExtent="E+W+S+N.I." RestrictStartDate="2022-07-01"><Number>CHAPTER 2</Number><Title>Hymenoplasty offences</Title><Pblock DocumentURI="http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2022/31/part/5/chapter/2/crossheading/hymenoplasty-offences-england-and-wales" IdURI="http://www.legislation.gov.uk/id/ukpga/2022/31/part/5/chapter/2/crossheading/hymenoplasty-offences-england-and-wales" NumberOfProvisions="4" id="part-5-chapter-2-crossheading-hymenoplasty-offences-england-and-wales" RestrictExtent="E+W" RestrictStartDate="2022-07-01"><Title>Hymenoplasty offences: England and Wales</Title><P1group RestrictExtent="E+W" RestrictStartDate="2022-07-01"><Title>Offence of offering to carry out hymenoplasty: England and Wales</Title><P1 DocumentURI="http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2022/31/section/149" IdURI="http://www.legislation.gov.uk/id/ukpga/2022/31/section/149" id="section-149">
<Pnumber><CommentaryRef Ref="key-84ac9a5d125dfe8b61a63b2c5ae177a6"/><CommentaryRef Ref="key-e5d048312c89ff233c527a51374f95fc"/>149</Pnumber>
<P1para>
<P2 DocumentURI="http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2022/31/section/149/1" IdURI="http://www.legislation.gov.uk/id/ukpga/2022/31/section/149/1" id="section-149-1">
<Pnumber>1</Pnumber>
<P2para>
<Text>It is an offence under the law of England and Wales—</Text>
<P3 DocumentURI="http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2022/31/section/149/1/a" IdURI="http://www.legislation.gov.uk/id/ukpga/2022/31/section/149/1/a" id="section-149-1-a">
<Pnumber>a</Pnumber>
<P3para>
<Text>for a person in England and Wales to offer to carry out hymenoplasty in the United Kingdom or hymenoplasty that has a sufficient jurisdictional connection, or</Text>
</P3para>
</P3>
<P3 DocumentURI="http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2022/31/section/149/1/b" IdURI="http://www.legislation.gov.uk/id/ukpga/2022/31/section/149/1/b" id="section-149-1-b">
<Pnumber>b</Pnumber>
<P3para>
<Text>for a person anywhere to offer to carry out hymenoplasty if the person is a United Kingdom national or habitually resident in England and Wales.</Text>
</P3para>
</P3>
</P2para>
</P2>
<P2 DocumentURI="http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2022/31/section/149/2" IdURI="http://www.legislation.gov.uk/id/ukpga/2022/31/section/149/2" id="section-149-2">
<Pnumber>2</Pnumber>
<P2para>
<Text>Hymenoplasty has a sufficient jurisdictional connection for the purposes of subsection (1)(a) if it is carried out in relation to a person who is—</Text>
<P3 DocumentURI="http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2022/31/section/149/2/a" IdURI="http://www.legislation.gov.uk/id/ukpga/2022/31/section/149/2/a" id="section-149-2-a">
<Pnumber>a</Pnumber>
<P3para>
<Text>a United Kingdom national, or</Text>
</P3para>
</P3>
<P3 DocumentURI="http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2022/31/section/149/2/b" IdURI="http://www.legislation.gov.uk/id/ukpga/2022/31/section/149/2/b" id="section-149-2-b">
<Pnumber>b</Pnumber>
<P3para>
<Text>habitually resident in the United Kingdom.</Text>
</P3para>
</P3>
</P2para>
</P2>
<P2 DocumentURI="http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2022/31/section/149/3" IdURI="http://www.legislation.gov.uk/id/ukpga/2022/31/section/149/3" id="section-149-3">
<Pnumber>3</Pnumber>
<P2para>
<Text>In this section—</Text>
<UnorderedList Class="Definition" Decoration="none">
<ListItem>
<Para>
<Text>“<Term id="term-united-kingdom-national">United Kingdom national</Term>” has the meaning given by section 148<InternalLink Ref="section-148-4" IdURI="http://www.legislation.gov.uk/id/ukpga/2022/31/section/148/4" DocumentURI="http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2022/31/section/148/4">(4)</InternalLink>;</Text>
</Para>
</ListItem>
<ListItem>
<Para>
<Text>“<Term id="term-hymenoplasty">hymenoplasty</Term>” has the meaning given by section 148<InternalLink Ref="section-148-2" IdURI="http://www.legislation.gov.uk/id/ukpga/2022/31/section/148/2" DocumentURI="http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2022/31/section/148/2">(2)</InternalLink>.</Text>
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</P1></P1group></Pblock></Chapter></Part></Body></Primary><Commentaries><Commentary Type="I" id="key-84ac9a5d125dfe8b61a63b2c5ae177a6"><Para><Text>S. 149 not in force at Royal Assent, see <CitationSubRef id="n373f9e47ac2ddb7b" SectionRef="section-186-6" URI="http://www.legislation.gov.uk/id/ukpga/2022/31/section/186/6" Operative="true">s. 186(6)</CitationSubRef></Text></Para></Commentary><Commentary id="key-e5d048312c89ff233c527a51374f95fc" Type="I"><Para><Text><CitationSubRef SectionRef="section-149" URI="http://www.legislation.gov.uk/id/ukpga/2022/31/section/149" id="co2tmsj84-01530">S. 149</CitationSubRef> in force at 1.7.2022 by <Citation URI="http://www.legislation.gov.uk/id/uksi/2022/734" Class="UnitedKingdomStatutoryInstrument" Year="2022" Number="734" Title="The Health and Care Act 2022 (Commencement No. 2 and Transitional and Saving Provision) Regulations 2022" id="co2tmsj84-01531">S.I. 2022/734</Citation>, <CitationSubRef SectionRef="regulation-2-a" URI="http://www.legislation.gov.uk/id/uksi/2022/734/regulation/2/a" CitationRef="co2tmsj84-01531" id="co2tmsj84-01532">reg. 2(a)</CitationSubRef>, <CitationSubRef SectionRef="schedule" URI="http://www.legislation.gov.uk/id/uksi/2022/734/schedule" CitationRef="co2tmsj84-01531" Operative="true" id="co2tmsj84-01533">Sch.</CitationSubRef> (with <CitationSubRef SectionRef="regulation-13" URI="http://www.legislation.gov.uk/id/uksi/2022/734/regulation/13" CitationRef="co2tmsj84-01531" id="co2tmsj84-01534">regs. 13</CitationSubRef>, <CitationSubRef SectionRef="regulation-29" URI="http://www.legislation.gov.uk/id/uksi/2022/734/regulation/29" CitationRef="co2tmsj84-01531" id="co2tmsj84-01535">29</CitationSubRef>, <CitationSubRef SectionRef="regulation-30" URI="http://www.legislation.gov.uk/id/uksi/2022/734/regulation/30" CitationRef="co2tmsj84-01531" id="co2tmsj84-01536">30</CitationSubRef>)</Text></Para></Commentary></Commentaries></Legislation>