The Health Professions Order 2001

Powers of the Council

16.—(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) subject to any provision made by or under this Order, to regulate the procedure of any of its committees or their sub-committees;

(h) to abolish any of its committees, other than a statutory 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 any statutory 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.

(6) The powers of the Council may be exercised even though there is a vacancy among its members.

(7) No proceedings of the Council shall be invalidated by any defect in the election or appointment of a member.

(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.