Determination of application
4.—(1) The relevant Health Board shall–
(a)within the period of three months from its receipt of an application, determine whether to grant or refuse recognition as a fund-holding practice and if it determines to grant recognition, shall determine the date on which the grant of recognition is to have effect;
(b)within the period of fourteen days from making its determination send to each member of the practice notice of that determination including, where it determines to grant recognition, the date on which the grant of recognition is to have effect; and
(c)where the determination is for refusal of recognition, include in the notice a statement of the reasons for its determination, and, except in the case of an application for recognition as a purchasing co-operative, inform each member of the practice of the right to appeal to the Secretary of State against the refusal.
(2) Where the relevant Health Board has failed, by the end of the period of three months specified in the preceding paragraph, to determine an application, the application shall be deemed to have been determined by refusal of recognition.