Citation and commencement

1. These regulations may be cited as the National Health Service (Standing Advisory Committees) Regulations 1981 and shall come into operation on 1st March 1981.

Interpretation

2. In these regulations, unless the context otherwise requires-

"Advisory Committee" means a Standing Advisory Committee constituted by order made under either section 2(3) of the National Health Service Act 1946 or section 6(3) of the National Health Service Act 1977;

"member" means a member of an Advisory Committee;

"office-holder" has the meaning given by regulation 5(2) of these

Terms of office of members

3. Subject to the following provisions of these regulations, the term of office of members shall be for such period not exceeding four years, expiring on 31st March in any year, as the Secretary of State shall specify on making the appointment.

Casual vacancies

4. Where, for any reason, a person cease to be a member before the expiration of the period for which he was appointed, the term of office of any member appointed in his place shall be the remainder of that period.

Termination of term of office

5.-(1) A member may resign his office at any time during the period for which he was appointed by giving notice in writing to the Secretary of State.

(2) A person who at the time of his appointment as a member of an Advisory Committee was the holder of one of the offices specified in paragraph (3) below (in these regulations referred to as "an office-holder") shall cease to be a member of that Advisory Committee if he ceases to hold such office.

(3) The offices referred to in paragraph (2) above are-

• The President of the Royal College of Physicians of London;

• The President of the Royal College of Surgeons of England;

• The President of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists;

• The President of the Royal College of Psychiatrists;

• The President of the Royal College of Pathologists;

• The President of the Royal College of General Practitioners;

• The President of the Royal College of Nursing of the United Kingdom;

• The President of the Royal College of Midwives;

• The Chairman of the Council of the British Medical Association;

• The Chairman of the Council of the British Dental Association;

• The President of the Faculty of Community Medicine;

• The President of the Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain;

• The President of the Royal College of Radiologists; and

• The Dean of the Faculty of Anaesthetists.

Appointment of deputies

6.-(1) Any office-holder may notify the Secretary of State in writing of another member of the body in which he holds office whom he has appointed as his deputy for such period or any part of such period as he holds that office.

(2) The person of whom such notification is given may act as a member of the Advisory Committee of which the office-holder is a member in the place of that office-holder-

(a)until the office-holder ceases to hold office; or

(b)until the office-holder notifies the Secretary of State in writing that he wishes some other person to be his deputy or that he wishes to attend meetings of the Advisory Committee himself.

Eligibility for re-appointment to membership

7. A member shall, on the expiration of his term of office, be eligible for re-appointment.

Revocation

8. The National Health Service (Central Health Services Council and Standing Advisory Committees) Regulations 1974 are hereby revoked.

EXPLANATORY NOTE

These Regulations make provision with respect to the appointment and term of office of the members and for the appointment of deputies of members of Standing Advisory Committees constituted by the Secretary of State under either section 2 of the National Health Service Act 1946 or section 6 of the National Health Service Act 1977.