1994 Legislative Session: 3rd Session, 35th Parliament
FIRST READING


The following electronic version is for informational purposes only.
The printed version remains the official version.


HONOURABLE ELIZABETH CULL
MINISTER OF FINANCE AND
CORPORATE RELATIONS

BILL 18 -- 1994

MEDICAL AND HEALTH CARE SERVICES
SPECIAL ACCOUNT ACT

HER MAJESTY, by and with the advice and consent of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of British Columbia, enacts as follows:

Definitions

1 (1) In this Act

"agreement" means an agreement made under section 4 of the Medical and Health Care Services Act with a corporation representing members of a profession;

"appropriation" means appropriation as defined in the Medical and Health Care Services Act;

"minister" means the minister charged with the administration of the Medical and Health Care Services Act;

"prescribed group" means the group of practitioners prescribed under section 2 (2);

"sub-account" means an account established under section 2 (2) within the Medical and Health Care Services Special Account.

(2) Subject to subsection (1), the definitions in section 1 of the Financial Administration Act, and in sections 1 and 18 of the Medical and Health Care Services Act, apply to this Act.

Special account and sub-accounts

2 (1) The Medical and Health Care Services Special Account is established as a special account.

(2) The Minister of Finance, on the recommendation of the minister, may establish a sub-account to reduce fluctuations over 2 or more fiscal years in demand for payment from appropriations for a prescribed group of practitioners.

(3) The minister may specify the name of a sub-account.

Composition of a sub-account

3 A sub-account consists of

(a) the portion, specified by Treasury Board on the recommendation of the minister for the purposes of the sub-account, of an appropriation,

(b) the unexpended portion, or a prescribed lesser portion, of the available amount at the end of the fiscal year for the prescribed group to which the sub-account applies, and

(c) amounts approved for the purposes of the sub- account by the Lieutenant Governor in Council and recovered under section 32 (1) (d) of the Medical and Health Care Services Act for the prescribed group to which the sub-account applies.

Expenditures out of a sub-account

4 On the written authorization of the minister, amounts may be paid out of a sub-account

(a) as provided for under the applicable agreement, or

(b) if paragraph (a) does not apply, as prescribed by the regulations for the reduction of fluctuations over 2 or more fiscal years in demand for payment from appropriations.

Regulations

5 The Lieutenant Governor in Council may make regulations.

Commencement and retroactivity

6 (1) This Act comes into force by regulation of the Lieutenant Governor in Council.

(2) This Act, when brought into force, is retroactive to the extent necessary to give effect for medical practitioners, to an agreement dated December 21, 1993, between the minister and the British Columbia Medical Association.

(3) For the purposes of this Act, but not for other purposes, the agreement referred to in subsection (2) is deemed to be an agreement as defined in section 1 and references in the agreement to the minister or the government, however described, are deemed to be references to the commission.

 
Explanatory Note

This Bill creates the Medical and Health Care Services Special Account within the consolidated revenue fund. A sub-account may be established within this special account to reduce fluctuations over 2 or more fiscal years in demand for payment from appropria tions under the Medical and Health Care Services Act for some or all the members of a profession.


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