Subject to the provisions of paragraph (3), a proper officer shall, in respect of his district or port health district, send to the Registrar General by post every week in time to ensure its delivery on Monday, or the morning of Tuesday at the latest, a return, in such form as the Secretary of State may from time to time require, of the number of cases of each disease (including food poisoning and suspected food poisoning but excluding leprosy) notified to him during the week ended on the preceding Friday night; and the proper officer shall send a copy of the return to the appropriate medical officer of the appropriate District Health Authority.

Subject to the provisions of paragraph (3), a proper officer shall send to the Registrar General by post every three months, not later than 21st January, 21st April, 21st July and 21st October in every year, a return, in such form as the Secretary of State may from time to time require, of the cases referred to in the preceding paragraph which have been notified to him during the preceding three months, showing separately the final number of cases after any correction of diagnosis subsequently made by the notifying registered medical practitioner or by the registered medical practitioner in charge of the patient; and the proper officer shall send a copy of the return to the appropriate medical officer of the appropriate District Health Authority.

Where, pursuant to section 11(3) of the Act a copy of a certificate is sent by the proper officer of one district to the proper officer of another district, the case to which that certificate relates shall not be included in any return of the first-mentioned proper officer and shall be included in the returns of the last-mentioned proper officer.