S.I. No. 184/1972:

GENERAL MEDICAL SERVICES (PAYMENTS) BOARD (ESTABLISHMENT) ORDER, 1972.

GENERAL MEDICAL SERVICES (PAYMENTS) BOARD (ESTABLISHMENT) ORDER, 1972.

The Minister for Health in exercise of the powers conferred on him by section 11 of the Health Act 1970 (No. 1 of 1970) hereby orders as follows :--

1. This Order may be cited as the General Medical Services (Payments) Board (Establishment) Order, 1972.

2. In this Order--

" the Act " means the Health Act 1970 ;

" the Minister " means the Minister for Health;

" the Board " means the General Medical Services (Payments) Board established by this Order ;

" the Chairman " means the Chairman for the time being of the Board;

" the health boards " means the eight health boards established by the Health Boards Regulations, 1970 ( S.I. No. 170 of 1970 ).

3. The health boards shall arrange jointly for the performance of the following functions in relation to the provision of services under section 58 and section 59 (1) of the Act:--

(a) the calculation of payments to be made for such services ;

(b) the making of such payments;

(c) the verification of the accuracy and reasonableness of claims in relation to such services;

(d) the compilation of statistics and other information in relation to such services and the communication of such information to persons concerned with the operation of such services.

4. A joint board to be known as An Bord Seirbhísí Liachta Ginearálta (Iocaíochtaí) or, in the English language, the General Medical Services (Payments) Board is hereby established for the purposes of this Order.

5. A health board may, notwithstanding the establishment of the Board, itself carry out any of the functions referred to in article 3 of this Order.

6. The amount of each payment made by the Board for the provision of a service under section 58 or section 59 (1) of the Act shall be met by the health board liable for the provision of the service to the person receiving it. The other expenses of the Board shall be met by the health boards in proportion to the total liability of each health board for payments made for services during any financial year.

7. The Board shall consist of eleven members comprising--

(a) one officer of each health board, designated by the chief executive officer of the health board, and

(b) three other persons appointed by the members referred to in paragraph (a).

8. A member of the Board referred to in article 7 (a) shall hold office for such period as may be determined by the chief executive officer on the designation of such member or until the earlier termination of such membership by the chief executive officer.

9. A member of the Board referred to in subarticle 7 (b) shall hold office for such period as is determined at the time of appointment by the members making the appointment.

10. A member of the Board may resign his membership by giving notice in writing signed by him to the Board but the resignation shall not become effective until the meeting of the Board held next after the receipt of the notice.

11. (a) A person shall not receive any remuneration for acting as a member of the Board.

(b) Members of the Board may be paid travelling and subsistence allowances in accordance with such scale as may from time to time be approved by the Minister.

12. The Board shall from time to time elect one of its members to be chairman of the Board and another of its members to be vice-chairman of the Board.

13. A chairman or vice-chairman of the Board may at any time resign his office of chairman or vice-chairman by giving notice in writing signed by him to the Board but the resignation shall not become effective until the commencement of the meeting of the Board held next after the receipt by the Board of the resignation.

14. Wherever at the election of a chairman or vice-chairman of the Board there is an equality of votes for two or more persons, it shall be determined by lot which of those persons shall be chairman or vice-chairman.

15. The quorum of the Board shall be four.

16. The Board shall hold such and so many meetings as may be necessary for the performance of its functions.

17. The proceedings at the meetings shall be governed by rules 16 (i) and 18 to 32 of the Second Schedule to the Health Act, 1970 and any reference to a health board in those rules shall be construed as a reference to the Board.

18. (1) The Board may appoint such and so many officers and employ such and so many servants as the Board may, from time to time, think proper and in appointing any officer or employing any servant the Board shall comply with any directions given by the Minister relating to the procedure to be followed.

(2) Every officer of the Board holding office in a permanent capacity shall cease to hold his office on attaining the age of sixty-five years.

(3) The Board shall determine the remuneration and conditions of service of each officer and each servant.

(4) The Board shall, from time to time, assign such duties as they consider appropriate to each officer and servant and each officer and servant shall perform the duties so assigned to him.

(5) The Minister may, whenever and so often as he thinks fit, declare that any of the powers conferred on the Board by this article shall be exercisable only with the consent of the Minister, and whenever any such declaration is in force, the said powers may, in relation to any officer or employment to which the declaration applies, be exercised only with such consent.

19. Sections 15, 18, 20, 27, 28, 31 (1) and 33 of the Act shall apply to the Board, and any reference to a health board in those provisions shall be construed as a reference to the Board.

GIVEN under the Official Seal of the Minister for Health this 28th day of July, 1972.

ERSKINE H. CHILDERS,

Minister for Health.

EXPLANATORY NOTE.

This Order establishes a joint board of health boards with the main function of calculating and making payments to medical practitioners and pharmacists providing services under sections 58 and 59 (i) of the Health Act, 1970 .