Emergency Measures in the Public Interest (Covid-19) Act 2020

11

Special measures registration having regard to Covid-19

11. The Health and Social Care Professionals Act 2005 is amended by the insertion of the following section after section 97:

“98. (1) (a) A previous registrant of a designated profession (in this section referred to as the ‘relevant designated profession’) may make an application to the registration board of that profession (in this section referred to as the ‘relevant board’) to again become a member of that profession.

(b) The section 98 application must be in the form and contain the information required by the chief executive officer.

(2) Subject to subsections (3) to (7), the provisions of this Act shall, with all necessary modifications, apply to—

(a) a section 98 registration as they apply to registration in the relevant designated profession effected by another section of this Act, and

(b) a section 98 registrant as they apply to a registrant in the relevant designated profession who is not a section 98 registrant.

(3) No fee shall be charged for, or relating to—

(a) a section 98 application, or

(b) a section 98 registration or the retention of such registration.

(4) Where a previous registrant’s name is entered in the register for the relevant designated profession pursuant to a section 98 registration, the chief executive officer shall enter in that register, or cause to be entered in that register, the term ‘(section 98 registration)’ immediately after that name to indicate that his or her registration in that register arises from the operation of this section.

(5) (a) Nothing in this section shall be construed to prevent a previous registrant’s name from being entered in the register for the relevant designated profession pursuant to the operation of another section of this Act, whether or not his or her name is already entered in that register pursuant to a section 98 registration.

(b) Where a previous registrant’s name is entered in the register for the relevant designated profession pursuant to the operation of this Act (other than this section) when his or her name is already entered in that register pursuant to a section 98 registration, the chief executive officer shall remove from that register, or cause to be removed from that register, the latter entry at the same time as the first-mentioned entry is made.

(c) The refusal of a section 98 registration for a previous registrant shall not prevent that registrant from making an application under another section of this Act to be registered in the register for the relevant designated profession.

(6) (a) Subject to subsection (7), each section 98 registration that is still in force on the 31st day of July 2020, shall, on and after that date, cease to have effect.

(b) The chief executive officer shall remove from the register for the relevant designated profession, or cause to be removed from that register, on the date referred to in paragraph (a), or as soon as is practicable thereafter, each name that was entered in that register pursuant to a section 98 registration.

(7) (a) The Minister may, by order, specify a different date for the purposes of subsection (6) (including a different date for a previous different date specified in an order made under this paragraph) and, if the Minister so specifies, that subsection shall be construed, with all necessary modifications, to take account of that first-mentioned date.

(b) Section 95(4) to (6) shall, with all necessary modifications, apply to an order made under paragraph (a) as that section applies to a regulation made under a provision of this Act.

(8) In this section—

‘previous registrant’ means a former registrant whose name was removed from the register for the relevant designated profession pursuant to section 39(1) or 40(1);

‘section 98 application’ means an application under subsection (1);

‘section 98 registrant’ means a registrant who is such pursuant to—

(a) the chief executive officer’s determination of a section 98 application, or

(b) a decision (howsoever called) of the Court arising from the chief executive officer’s determination of a section 98 application;

‘section 98 registration’ means a registration effected in the register for the relevant designated profession pursuant to—

(a) the chief executive officer’s determination of a section 98 application, or

(b) a decision (howsoever called) of the Court arising from the chief executive officer’s determination of a section 98 application.”.