The General Osteopathic Council (Constitution of the Statutory Committees) Rules Order of Council 2009

Suspension of members of the statutory committees

14.—(1) The General Council may suspend a member from a statutory committee by a notice in writing served on the member—

(a) if the General Council has reasonable grounds for suspecting that the member has become a person to whom rule 13(1)(b)(ii) to (d) applies, for the purposes of determining whether or not the member has become such a person;

(b) while the General Council is considering whether or not it is satisfied as to the matters set out in rule 13(1)(g) to (j);

(c) if the member is subject to any investigation or proceedings concerning his fitness to practise by—

(i) any licensing body, or

(ii) the General Council,

and the General Council is satisfied that it would not be appropriate for the member to continue to participate in the work of the statutory committee while the investigation or proceedings concerning the person’s fitness to practise is or are ongoing;

(d) if the member is subject to any investigation or proceedings concerning whether the member’s entry in the register was fraudulently procured or incorrectly made and the General Council is satisfied that it would not be appropriate for the member to continue to participate in the work of the statutory committee while the investigation or proceedings is or are ongoing;

(e) if the person is subject to any investigation or proceedings in the United Kingdom relating to a criminal offence, or elsewhere than in the United Kingdom relating to an offence which, if committed in any part of the United Kingdom, would constitute a criminal offence, and—

(i) either—

(aa) the investigation or proceedings relate to an offence involving dishonesty or deception, or

(bb) the final outcome of the investigation or proceedings may be that the person is sentenced to a term of imprisonment or detention, and

(ii) the General Council is satisfied that it would not be appropriate for the person to continue to participate in the work of the statutory committee while the investigation or proceedings is or are ongoing.

(2) The General Council shall suspend from office a member of a statutory committee by a notice in writing served on the member if the member is the subject of an order under section 24 of the Act (interim suspension powers of the Professional Conduct Committee and the Health Committee).

(3) The notice in writing under paragraph (1) or (2) shall set out the reasons for the suspension and the duration of the period of suspension, which shall (in the first instance) not be for more than 6 months.

(4) The General Council—

(a) may at any time review a suspension of a member of a statutory committee by it; and

(b) shall review any suspension of a member of a statutory committee by it after 3 months from the start of the period of suspension, if requested to do so by the suspended person.

(5) Following a review, the General Council may—

(a) terminate the suspension;

(b) if that review is within 3 months of the end of a period of suspension, extend the suspension for a further period of up to 6 months from the date on which the suspension would otherwise come to an end.

(6) The General Council shall notify the suspended member of a statutory committee in writing of the outcome of any review and that notice shall include the reasons for any decision taken.