Public Assistance Act, 1939

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Giving of public assistance.

20.—(1) The Minister may by order from time to time determine the persons who shall be authorised persons for the purposes of this section, and accordingly in this section the expression “authorised person” means a person who is, by virtue of an order made by the Minister under this sub-section, for the time being an authorised person for the purposes of this section.

(2) It shall be lawful for an authorised person in any case in which it appears to him that the immediate giving of medical assistance or of general assistance to a person who is eligible for medical assistance or general assistance (as the case may be) is a matter of urgent necessity, to give such assistance to such person by an order of admission to a district institution and conveyance to such institution or by affording to such person immediate and temporary assistance in any other manner which may be appropriate to the circumstances of the case.

(3) The Minister may by order make regulations governing the giving of assistance under this section and, in particular, regulating either generally or in respect of any particular class of person the nature of the assistance to be so given and prescribing the times and places at which and the conditions subject to which such assistance may be granted, and where any such regulations are for the time being in force, assistance given under this section shall be given in accordance with such regulations.

(4) Save as is authorised by this section, it shall not be lawful for public assistance to be given to any person save on and in accordance with an order of the appropriate public assistance authority.