This Order may be cited as the General Chiropractic Council (Functions of Medical Assessors) Rules Order 2000 and shall come into force on 12th October 2000.

SCHEDULE THE GENERAL CHIROPRACTIC COUNCIL (FUNCTIONS OF MEDICAL ASSESSORS) RULES 2000

The General Chiropractic Council, in exercise of its powers under sections 26, 28(3) and 29 of, and paragraph 21 of Schedule 1 to, the Chiropractors Act 1994( 2 ), and of all other powers enabling it in that behalf, hereby makes the following Rules:—

Citation, commencement and interpretation

1. —(1) The Rules may be cited as the General Chiropractic Council (Functions of Medical Assessors) Rules 2000, and shall come into force on 12th October 2000.

(2) In these Rules—

“the Act” means the Chiropractors Act 1994 ;

“the Council” means the General Chiropractic Council, and includes any committee of the Council to which functions have been delegated under paragraph 15(2)(j) of Schedule 1 to the Act; and

“medical assessors” means registered medical practitioners appointed under section 28 of the Act to be medical assessors, and “medical assessor” shall be construed accordingly.

Additional functions of medical assessors

2. In addition to the functions conferred on them by section 28(2) of the Act, medical assessors shall have the functions of—

(a) informing the Investigating Committee and the Health Committee of the assessors' own motion if it appears to them that, without their advice, a mistake may be made in judging the medical significance of information (or the absence of information) in proceedings before the Committee under sections 20, 21 or 23 to 25 of the Act;

(b) giving advice to the Council on matters within their professional competence arising in connection with any proceedings before the Council under section 29 of the Act;

(c) informing the Council of the assessors' own motion if it appears to them that, without their advice, a mistake may be made in judging the medical significance of information (or the absence of information) in any such proceedings before the Council; and

(d) at the request of the Investigating Committee, examining a registered chiropractor and reporting on his physical or mental condition for the purposes of any investigation of an allegation by the Committee under section 20 of the Act.

Advice given to Health Committee and the Council

3. —(1) The provisions of this Rule comprise rules of procedure under sections 26 and 29 of, and paragraph 21 of Schedule 1 to, the Act, and apply to—

(a) any proceedings of the Health Committee under sections 23 to 25 of the Act; and

(b) any proceedings before the Council on an appeal under section 29 of the Act.

(2) Any advice may be tendered by a medical assessor to the Committee or the Council either in the presence of the parties to the proceedings or their representatives (so far as they are in attendance), or in their absence when the Committee or Council is deliberating together in private, as the Committee or Council requests and determines.