The National Health Service (Functions of Health Authorities in England) (General Dental Services Incentive Schemes) Regulations 1996

Made: 7th August 1996

Laid before Parliament: 9th August 1996

Coming into force: 1st September 1996

The Secretary of State for Health, in exercise of powers conferred on him by sections 15(1)(b) and 126(4) of, and paragraph 16 of Schedule 5 to, the National Health Service Act 1977[^f00001] and of all other powers enabling him in that behalf, hereby makes the following Regulations:—

Citation and commencement

1

These Regulations may be cited as the National Health Service (Functions of Health Authorities in England) (General Dental Services Incentive Schemes) Regulations 1996 and shall come into force on 1st September 1996.

Prescribed functions of Health Authorities in England

2

• (1) For the purposes of section 15(1)(b) of the National Health Service Act 1977, the two functions set out in paragraphs (2) and (3) are prescribed functions of each Health Authority in England.

• (2) The first function referred to in paragraph (1) is, where the Health Authority considers it appropriate to do so, to propose to the Secretary of State for his approval one or more schemes for making payments to general dental practitioners whose names are included in the Authority’s dental list, being schemes designed to increase the availability of general dental services in the Authority’s area.

• (3) The second function referred to in paragraph (1) is to establish, operate, make payments under, and monitor each such scheme as relates to the Authority’s area and has received the approval of the Secretary of State.

• (4) Each Authority in whose area such a scheme has been approved by the Secretary of State shall provide him with information relating to the functioning of each such scheme and to the use of sums paid under it.

• (5) In paragraph (2), “dental list” has the same meaning as in the National Health Service (General Dental Services) Regulations 1992[^f00002].

Signed

Stephen Dorrell — One of her Majesty’s Principal Secretaries of State(Department of Health) — 1996

Explanatory note

(This note is not part of the Regulations)

These Regulations give Health Authorities two additional functions. First they are given the function of proposing to the Secretary of State (where they consider it appropriate to do so) schemes for making payments to general dental practitioners in the Authority’s area to increase the provision of general dental services there. Secondly, where the Secretary of State has approved such a scheme the Health Authority is given the function of implementing it.

The functions conferred by these Regulations are to be carried out in accordance with Directions given by the Secretary of State under section 17 of the National Health Service Act 1977.

Footnotes

[^f00001]: 1977c. 49; see section 128(1) as amended by the National Health Service and Community Care Act 1990 (c. 19) (“the 1990 Act”), section 26(2)(g) and (i), for the definitions of “prescribed” and “regulations”, Section 15(1) was amended by the Health and Social Security Act 1984 (c. 48), section 5(2); by the 1990 Act, section 12(1); and by the Health Authorities Act 1995 (c. 17), Schedule 1, paragraph 6. Section 126(4) was amended by the 1990 Act, section 65(2).

[^f00002]: S.I. 1992/661, amended by S.I. 1991/580, 1992/1509, 1993/2209, 1993/3172, 1995/3092, 1996/704.