(1)    These Regulations may be cited as the Community Health Councils (Amendment) Regulations 2002 and shall come into force on 31st August 2002.

(2)    In these Regulations—

“the principal Regulations” means the Community Health Councils Regulations 1996.

(3)    These Regulations apply in relation to Community Health Councils established for districts in England only.

(1)    The principal Regulations shall be amended in accordance with the following paragraphs of this regulation.

(2)    In regulation 3, after paragraph (1), there is inserted—

“(1A)    Subject to regulations 7 and 8, the term of office of any member which, but for this provision, would expire on 31st August 2002, shall be extended to 31st March 2004.”

(3)    In paragraph (5) of regulation 3, after “appointed” in the first place where it occurs, there is inserted “or of that term as extended by virtue of paragraph (1A),”.

(4)    Regulation 22 of the principal Regulations (transitional arrangements for existing members) shall be omitted.

(5)    For paragraph 6 of the Schedule to the principal Regulations (meetings and proceedings of Councils) there is substituted—

No business shall be transacted at a meeting unless at least one-third of actual members (excluding vacancies) or four members, whichever is the higher number, are present.”.

Signed by authority of the Secretary of State for Health

David Lammy

Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State

Department of Health

7th August 2002

These Regulations make amendments to the Community Health Councils Regulations 1996 (“the principal Regulations”) in connection with members' terms of office and meetings.

Regulation 2 extends the term of office of members whose term expires on 31st August 2002 to 31st March 2004 and provides for regulation 3(5) to apply to such extended terms. Regulation 2 also deletes regulation 22 of the principal Regulations (which no longer has application) and substitutes paragraph 6 of the Schedule to the principal Regulations with a new provision that a meeting will be quorate when one third of actual members (excluding vacancies) or four members, whichever is the higher number, are present.