Health Act, 1953
|
Amendment of section 98 of Principal Act. |
41.—Section 98 of the Principal Act is hereby amended— | |
(a) by the deletion in subsection (1) of the words “to give to the Minister when so required by him advice on matters affecting or incidental to the health of the people” and the substitution therefor of the words “to advise the Minister on such general matters affecting or incidental to the health of the people as may be referred to them by the Minister and on such other general matters (other than conditions of employment of officers and servants and the amount or payment of grants or allowances) relating to the operation of the health services as they think fit”; | ||
(b) by the deletion in subsection (4) of the words “the National Health Council or of”; | ||
(c) by the addition of the following subsections:— | ||
“(7) Not less than half of the persons who are appointed to be members of the National Health Council shall be appointed by the Minister on nominations of bodies which, in the opinion of the Minister, are representative of the medical and ancillary professions (including particular branches thereof) and of persons concerned with the management of voluntary hospitals. | ||
(8) The members of the National Health Council holding office on the 31st day of March, 1954, shall go out of office at the end of that day and the like provision shall have effect with respect to the 31st day of March in the year 1956 and in every second year thereafter. | ||
(9) The National Health Council shall appoint one of their members to act as chairman of the Council. | ||
(10) The quorum for a meeting of the National Health Council shall be one-third of the members, or, if the number of members is not divisible by three, one-third of the next higher number which is divisible by three. | ||
(11) The National Health Council may, by standing orders or otherwise, regulate their own procedure. | ||
(12) The National Health Council shall meet at least once in each quarter of the year. | ||
(13) The National Health Council shall meet— | ||
(i) at such times as they may be requested by the Minister to meet, | ||
(ii) subject to subsection (14) of this section, at such times as may be determined by the Council, and | ||
(iii) subject to subsection (14) of this section, upon a requisition to call a meeting of the Council, signed by a number of members not less than the quorum of the Council being presented to the secretary to the Council. | ||
(14) Where three or more meetings of the National Health Council have been held in any quarter, a further meeting shall not be held in that quarter save at the request of, or with the consent of, the Minister. | ||
(15) Every meeting of the National Health Council shall be held in private. | ||
(16) The National Health Council may present each year to the Minister an annual report and the Minister shall publish the report with such comments (if any) as he thinks fit. | ||
(17) The Minister shall request the advice of the National Health Council on any regulations which he proposes to make under the Health Acts, 1947 and 1953, or under the Mental Treatment Act, 1945 , except where he is satisfied that the making of the regulations is a matter of urgency and, in such a case, he shall request the advice of the Council on the regulations as soon as may be after they are made. | ||
(18) The Minister shall appoint a person to act as secretary to the National Health Council.” |