Article 3
SCHEDULE 1U.K.THE NURSING AND MIDWIFERY COUNCIL AND COMMITTEES
Modifications etc. (not altering text)
PART IU.K.THE NURSING AND MIDWIFERY COUNCIL
MembershipU.K.
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[Membership: generalU.K.
1A.—(1) The Council shall consist of—
(a)registrant members, that is members who are registrants; and
(b)lay members, that is members who—
(i)are not and never have been [registered nurses, midwives or nursing associates] (and article 5(5) does not apply for these purposes), and
(ii)do not hold qualifications which would entitle them to apply for registration under this Order.
(2) The members of the Council shall be appointed by the Privy Council.
(3) The Privy Council shall ensure that, at any time, at least one member of the Council lives or works wholly or mainly in each of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
(4) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
(5) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Matters for the order of the Privy Council under article 3(7A)U.K.
1B.—(1) An order under article 3(7A) shall include provision with regard to—
(a)the numbers of registrant members and lay members of the Council;
(b)the terms of office for which members of the Council are appointed, and the order may provide that these are to be determined by the Privy Council, on appointment;
(c)the grounds on which persons are to be disqualified from appointment as registrant or lay members of the Council;
(d)the appointment of a chair of the Council and the chair’s term of office [, and the order may provide that the term is to be determined by whoever makes the appointment as chair, on appointment];
(e)deputising arrangements in respect of the chair;
(f)the quorum of the Council; and
(g)the circumstances in which members cease to hold office or may be removed or suspended from office.
(2) But an order under article 3(7A) must not include any provision which would have the effect that a majority of the members of the Council would be lay members.
(3) An order under article 3(7A) may include provision with regard to—
(a)the maximum period for which a member of the Council may hold office as a member during a specified period;
(b)the maximum period for which a member of the Council may serve as chair of the Council during a specified period;
(c)the education and training of members of the Council, and the order may provide for the Council to include the requirements with regard to education and training of its members in standing orders, and for those standing orders to provide for—
(i)that education and training to be the responsibility of another body, and
(ii)those requirements to be set and varied by that body from time to time;
(d)the attendance of members of the Council at meetings of the Council;
(e)the effect (if any) of any vacancy in the membership of the Council or any defect in the appointment of a member; and
(f)enabling the Privy Council to appoint as the chair of the Council, for a specified period, the person who held office as President of the Council on the day before the first order under article 3(7A) comes into force.
(4) An order under article 3(7A) may make different provision for different cases or different classes of case and may contain such incidental, consequential, transitional, transitory, saving or supplementary provisions as appear to the Privy Council to be necessary or expedient.]
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Tenure of membersU.K.
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The PresidentU.K.
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Procedure etc. of Council and committeesU.K.
[12.—(1) Subject to any provision made by this Order or under this Order (otherwise than by standing orders), the Council may by standing orders make provision in respect of—
(a)its procedure;
(b)the performance of its functions;
(c)the constitution of its committees and sub-committees, other than the Practice Committees ...;
(d)the procedure of any of its committees or sub-committees;
(e)the performance by any of its committees or sub-committees of their functions; and
(f)the standards of education, training, attendance and performance expected of the members of its committees and sub-committees.
(2) Standing orders of the Council may make provision with regard to the provisional suspension of a member from office, pending the taking of a decision about the suspension or removal from office of the member in accordance with the provisions of an order under article 3(7A).]
Textual Amendments
Commencement Information
13.—(1) In appointing non-Council members to any committee set up under article 3(12) the Council shall have regard, where appropriate and subject to the other provisions of this Order, to the guidance issued by the Commissioner for Public Appointments.
(2) The Council shall ensure that such members of the committee who are not Council members shall have such qualifications, interests or experience as, in the opinion of the Council, are relevant to the field with which the committee is mainly concerned.
(3) The Council shall—
(a)establish and maintain a system for the declaration and registration of private interests of its members and other members of its committees and sub-committees; and
(b)publish entries recorded in the register of members' interests.
14.—(1) Decisions of the Council and committees shall be made by a majority vote of the members present and voting.
(2) In the event of a tie the [chair] shall have an additional casting vote.
(3) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
(4) This paragraph does not apply to the [Practice Committees] or to decisions of the Council under article 37.
Textual Amendments
Commencement Information
Powers of the CouncilU.K.
15.—(1) Subject to any provision made by or under this Order, the Council may do anything which appears to it to be necessary or expedient for the purpose of, or in connection with, the performance of its functions.
(2) The Council shall, in particular, have power—
(a)to borrow;
(b)to appoint such staff as it may determine;
(c)to pay its staff such salaries, allowances and expenses as it may determine;
(d)to make such provision for the payment of such pensions, allowances or gratuities, or such contributions or payments towards provision for such pensions, allowances or gratuities, to or in respect of its staff as it may determine;
(e)to make such provision in respect of its members and members of its committees and sub-committees as it may determine—
(i)for the payment of fees and allowances, including the payment of allowances to employers of such members for the purposes of enabling the members to perform functions under this Order;
(ii)for the reimbursement of such expenses as the members may reasonably have incurred in the course of carrying out their functions under this Order;
(f)to establish such sub-committees of any of its committees as it may determine;
(g). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
(h)to abolish any of its committees, other than a [Practice Committee], or any sub-committee of any of its committees.
(3) The Council may not employ any member of the Council or its committees or sub-committees.
(4) If it appears to the Council that [a Practice Committee] is failing to perform its functions adequately, the Council may give a direction as to the proper performance of those functions.
(5) Where the Council, having given a direction under sub-paragraph (4), is satisfied that the committee has failed to comply with the direction, it may exercise any power of that committee or do any act or other thing authorised to be done by that committee.
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(7) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
(8) No person who is a member of the Council or any of its committees or sub-committees by virtue of his membership of any profession, may take part in any proceedings of the Council in any period during which he is the subject of any investigations, proceedings or a determination against him concerning his fitness to practise his profession.
Textual Amendments
Commencement Information
Privy Council functionsU.K.
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PART IIU.K.[The Practice Committees]
Midwifery CommitteeU.K.
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Practice CommitteesU.K.
[17.—(1) The Council shall by rules make provision with regard to the constitution of each Practice Committee, and those rules shall include provision with regard to—
(a)its ... membership;
(b)the appointment, suspension and removal of its members;
(c)its chair, including the deputising arrangements for its chair; and
(d)the quorum at its meetings.
[(1A) Where the rules provide for one or more panels of members of a Practice Committee to perform functions of the Committee, the provision required by sub-paragraph (1)(d) includes provision with regard to the quorum at meetings of those panels.]
(2) The rules may make provision for a body (including a committee of the Council which is not one of the Practice Committees) to assist the Council in connection with the exercise of any function relating to the appointment of members or particular members of a Practice Committee, including any function relating to tenure of office or suspension or removal from office.
(3) Subject to any provision made by this Order or under this Order, including provision made by standing orders of the Council under paragraph 12(1)(d), each Practice Committee may regulate its own procedure.]
Textual Amendments
Commencement Information
18.—(1) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
(2) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
(3) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
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(5) The Council shall, subject to other provisions in this Order, have regard when selecting non-Council members for a Practice Committee, to the guidance issued by the Commissioner for Public Appointments.
(6) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
(7) Decisions of a Practice Committee shall be made by a majority vote of the members present and voting.
(8) In the event of a tie, the [chair] shall have an additional casting vote and in respect of a decision under Part V shall exercise his casting vote in favour of the person concerned.
(9) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
(10) Apart from proceedings under Part V, no proceedings of a Practice Committee shall be invalidated by any defect in the appointment of a member.
[[(10A) In exercising a function under article 26D, 29, 30 or 33, the Fitness to Practise Committee (or any panel by which the function is exercisable as mentioned in paragraph 17(1A) of this Schedule) must have regard to the over-arching objective.]
(10B) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
(10C) References in [sub-paragraph (10A) to the over-arching objective is] to the over-arching objective of the Council under article 3(4) (read with article 3(4A)).]
(11) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Textual Amendments
Commencement Information