Citation, commencement and interpretation

1.-(1) These Regulations may be cited as the National Health Service Supplies Authority Regulations 1991 and shall come into force on 1st October 1991.

(2) In these Regulations unless the context otherwise requires-

"the Authority" means the National Health Service Supplies Authority established by the National Health Service Supplies Authority (Establishment and Constitution) Order 1991(2);

"member" means a member of the Authority but does not include the Chairman;

"non-officer member" and "officer member" mean respectively a member who is not, and one who is, an officer of the Authority.

Appointment of the Chairman and members

2.-(1) The Chairman and the non-officer members shall be appointed by the Secretary of State.

(2) The officer members other than the chief officer shall be appointed by the Authority.

(3) Subject to the following provisions of these Regulations, an officer member shall on the expiration of his term of office be eligible for reappointment.

Tenure of office of members

3. Subject to regulation 4 of these Regulations and any provisions applied by these Regulations as to termination of and disqualification for membership-

(a)the term of office of the Chairman and of members other than the chief officer of the Authority shall be for such period not exceeding 4 years as the Secretary of State or, as the case may be, the Authority shall specify on making the appointment; and

(b)the chief officer of the Authority shall hold office as a member for as long as he remains the chief officer of the Authority.

Termination of tenure of office

4.-(1) The Chairman or a member other than the chief officer of the Authority 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 or the Authority, whichever appointed him.

(2) Where the Secretary of State is of the opinion that it is not in the interests of the Authority or the health service that the chairman or a person whom he has appointed as a member should continue to hold that office, he may forthwith terminate that person's tenure of office.

Application of regulations relating to membership and procedure

5. The provisions of regulation 8 (termination and suspension of tenure of office of officer members), regulation 10 (application of regulations 11 to 14), regulation 11(2), (4), (5) and (6) (termination of tenure of office), regulation 12 (eligibility for reappointment), regulation 13 (disqualification for appointment), regulation 14 (cessation of disqualification), regulation 15 (appointment of vice-chairman), regulation 16 (powers of vice-chairman), regulation 17 (appointment of committees and sub-committees), regulation 18 (arrangements for the exercise of functions), regulation 19 (meetings and proceedings), regulation 20 (disability of chairman and members in proceedings on account of pecuniary interest) of, and Schedule 2 (rules as to meetings and proceedings of Authorities) to, the Regional and District Health Authorities (Membership and Procedure) Regulations 1990(3) shall apply in relation to the Authority as if-

(a)any reference in those provisions to an Authority included a reference to the Authority;

(b)any reference in those provisions to the appointing authority were, in relation to a non-officer member, a reference to the Secretary of State and, in relation to an officer member, a reference to the Authority;

(c)for the reference in regulation 13(1)(e) to paragraph (3) of regulation 11 there were substituted a reference to regulation 4(2) of these Regulations;

(d)regulation 13(l)(f), (g) and (h) were omitted;

(e)in Schedule 2, paragraph 8 were omitted.

Furnishing of information by the Authority

6. The Authority shall furnish information to the Secretary of State in such manner and at such time as the Secretary of State may direct.

Explanatory Note

(This note is not part of the Regulations)

These Regulations make provision concerning the functions and membership of the National Health Service Supplies Authority established by the National Health Service Supplies Authority (Establishment and Constitution) Order 1991. They include provisions relating to the appointment of members (regulation 2), tenure of office of members (regulation 3), and termination of tenure of office of members (regulation 4).

Regulation 5 applies various provisions of the Regional and District Health Authorities (Membership and Procedure) Regulations 1990 to the Authority. Regulation 6 provides for the provision of information by the Authority to the Secretary of State.