17.—(1) The Scottish Ministers shall, after consultation with such organisations as appear to them to be representative of contractors providing general ophthalmic services, make provision in a determination (in these Regulations referred to as “the Statement”) as to–
(a)the fees to be paid by a Board to ophthalmic medical practitioners and opticians for providing general ophthalmic services;
(b)the allowances to be paid by the Board for continuing education and training undertaken by ophthalmic medical practitioners and opticians other than a body corporate registered in the register of bodies corporate maintained under section 9 of the Opticians Act 1989 carrying on business as an optometrist; and
(c)the allowances, or reimbursement of expenses, to be paid by the Board for the provision of services by ophthalmic medical practitioners and opticians.
(2) Any such determination–
(a)shall be published;
(b)may be amended, in whole or in part, after consultation with those organisations referred to in paragraph (1).
(3) A determination or an amendment to a determination shall be in respect of a period beginning on or after a date specified in the determination or the amendment to a determination, which may be the date of the determination or an amendment to the determination or an earlier or later date, but may be an earlier date only if it, taking the determination as a whole, it is not detrimental to the person to whose remuneration it relate.