Education Reform Act 1988

15 Transfers of property and staff to Councils

(1) References below in this section to the Council are references to each of the following bodies—

(a) the National Curriculum Council;

(b) the Curriculum Council for Wales; and

(c) the School Examinations and Assessment Council.

(2) The Secretary of State may by order provide for the transfer to the Council of—

(a) such of the property of an existing body; and

(b) such of the rights and liabilities of such a body (other than rights and liabilities arising under contracts of employment);

as, in his opinion, require to be so transferred for the purpose of enabling the Council properly to perform its functions; and an order under this subsection may contain such incidental, consequential and supplementary provisions as appear to the Secretary of State to be necessary or expedient.

(3) Subsection (4) below applies to any person who—

(a) immediately before the establishment of the Council is employed by an existing body; and

(b) is as respects the Council designated by order of the Secretary of State.

(4) The contract of employment between a person to whom this subsection applies and the existing body shall have effect from the commencement date of the order under subsection (3) above as if originally made between him and the Council.

(5) Without prejudice to subsection (4) above—

(a) all the existing body’s rights, powers, duties and liabilities under or in connection with a contract to which that subsection applies shall by virtue of that subsection be transferred to the Council on the commencement date of the order under subsection (3) above; and

(b) anything done before that date by or in relation to the existing body in respect of that contract or the employee shall be deemed from that date to have been done by or in relation to the Council.

(6) Subsections (4) and (5) above are without prejudice to any right of an employee to terminate his contract of employment if a substantial change is made to his detriment in his working conditions, but no such right shall arise by reason only of the change in employer effected by subsection (4) above.

(7) An order under subsection (3) above may designate a person either individually or as a member of a class or description of employees.

(8) No order under this section shall be made more than six months after the date on which the Council is established; and any order under this section made before that date shall come into force on that date.

(9) In this section—

• “commencement date”, in relation to an order under subsection (3) above, means the date on which the order comes into force;

• “existing body” means the School Curriculum Development Committee or the Secondary Examinations Council.