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Age Limits on Health Care Bill

This is the text of the Age Limits on Health Care Bill, as presented to the House of Commons on 16th February 1999.

 
 
  
Age Limits on Health Care Bill
 
 
 
 
ARRANGEMENT OF CLAUSES
Clause 
1.Pilot schemes for primary care.
2.Provision of personal medical or dental services.
3.Inquiry into age discrimination in the National Health Service.
4.Expenses.
5.Short title.
 

 

 
 
A

B I L L

TO

Amend the National Health Service (Primary Care) Act 1997 to prohibit the refusal or delay of treatment on the basis of age; and to establish an inquiry into the prevalence of age discrimination in the National Health Service.

BE IT ENACTED by the Queen's most Excellent Majesty, by and with the advice and consent of the Lords Spiritual and Temporal, and Commons, in this present Parliament assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:-
 

Pilot schemes for primary care.     1. - (1) The National Health Service (Primary Care) Act 1997 ("the 1997 Act") is amended as follows.
 
      (2) In section 4 (proposals for pilot schemes), after subsection (4) insert-
 
 
    "(4A) In preparing proposals for a pilot scheme, an authority must include provision for ensuring that no person will have personal medical or dental services refused or delayed on grounds of age.".
 
      (3) In section 5 (approval of pilot schemes), after subsection (2) insert-
 
 
    "(2A) The Secretary of State may not approve proposals for a pilot scheme unless he is satisfied that they include satisfactory provision for ensuring that no person will have personal medical or dental services refused or delayed on grounds of age.".
 
Provision of personal medical or dental services.     2. - (1) In section 21 of the 1997 Act (provision of personal medical or dental services), in subsection (3)-
 
 
    (a) after the word "unless" insert "- (a)"; and
    (b) at the end insert-
 
    " ; and
 
    (b) he is satisfied that by bringing this section into force he would be ensuring that no person will have personal medical or dental services refused or delayed on grounds of age.".
Inquiry into age discrimination in the National Health Service.     3. - (1) There shall be a committee to inquire into the extent to which the provision of personal medical or dental services under the National Health Service is refused or delayed on the grounds of the age of the patient or prospective patient.
 
      (2) The committee shall be appointed by the Secretary of State, after he has consulted representatives of such bodies representing National Health Service providers, employees and users as he sees fit.
 
      (3) The committee shall report to the Secretary of State, who shall lay the report before Parliament.
 
Expenses.     4. There shall be paid out of monies provided by Parliament any expenses of the committee of inquiry established under this Act.
 
Short title.     5. This Act may be cited as the Age Limits on Health Care Act 1999.
 
 

 
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