28. In Part VII (miscellaneous and general), before section 50 insert—
49B.—(1) The General Council is designated as the competent authority in the United Kingdom for the purposes of the Directive so far as relating to the medical profession.
(2) The designation under subsection (1)—
(a)does not extend to matters relating to training to be, or qualifications or practice as, a general practitioner or a specialist medical practitioner;
(b)does not extend to the awarding of primary United Kingdom qualifications.
(3) Accordingly, the General Council shall in the United Kingdom carry out (in particular) the functions specified in Schedule 4A so far as those functions relate to matters other than specialist matters (as respects those functions so far as relating to specialist matters, see article 19 of the General and Specialist Medical Practice (Education, Training and Qualifications) Order (S.I. 2003/1250)); and for this purpose each of the following is a “specialist matter”—
(a)training to be a general practitioner or specialist medical practitioner;
(b)qualifications as such a practitioner;
(c)practice as such a practitioner.
(4) The bodies and combinations of bodies specified in section 4(2) are designated as competent authorities in the United Kingdom for the purposes of awarding primary United Kingdom qualifications.
(5) Subject to subsection (6), the Secretary of State may give directions to the General Council in connection with their functions specified in Schedule 4A, and it shall be the duty of the General Council to comply with any such directions.
(6) Directions given under subsection (5) may be as to matters of administration only.
(7) In Schedule 4A, “non-UK medical qualification” means a medical qualification that is awarded to a person by a competent authority of a relevant European State other than the United Kingdom.”.