Part IE+W+S Services and Administration

Local administrationE+W+S

16 Exercise of functions.E+W+S

(1)Regulations may provide for functions exercisable by virtue of the provisions of sections 13 to 15 above by a body other than [F1a Regional or District Health Authority, or exercisable by a Regional or District Health Authority by virtue of any prescribed provision of this or any other Act, or exercisable by a Family Health Services Authority under Part I of the National Health Service and Community Care Act 1990], to be exercisable on behalf of the body in question—

(a)by an equivalent body or by another body of which the members consist only of the body and equivalent bodies;

(b)by a committee, sub-committee or officer of the body or an equivalent body or such another body as aforesaid;

(c)in the case of functions exercisable by an . . . F2[F3 . . . F2 District] Health Authority, by a special health authority, an officer of such an authority or a Family Practitioner Committee;

(d)in the case of functions exercisable by a Family Practitioner Committee, by a special health authority, an officer of such an authority or an officer of an . . . F2[F3 . . . F2 District] Health Authority.

(2)For the purposes of subsection (1) above, a Regional [F4Health Authority, . . . F5, a District] Health Authority or a Family Practitioner Committee is equivalent to another body of the same name . . . F6 and a special health authority is equivalent to another such authority.

(3)Nothing in this section shall be construed as precluding any body from acting by an agent where it is entitled so to act apart from this section.