{
  "url": "https://openlegislation.uk/national-health-service-fund-holding-practices-regulations-1996/regulation-25",
  "json_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/national-health-service-fund-holding-practices-regulations-1996/regulation-25.json",
  "legislation": "uksi/1996/706",
  "legislation_title": "The National Health Service (Fund-holding Practices) Regulations 1996",
  "legislation_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/national-health-service-fund-holding-practices-regulations-1996",
  "path": "regulation/25",
  "kind": "regulation",
  "number": "25",
  "heading": "Savings from the allotted sum",
  "text": "(1) The members of the fund-holding practice may discharge their obligations under regulations 19 and 20 and exercise their powers under regulations 22, 23 and 24 in such a way as to take into account any benefit to individuals on the lists of patients of the members of the practice which, in their opinion, would be derived from making savings to be applied in accordance with the following provisions of this regulation; and regulations 19, 20, 22, 23 and 24 shall be construed accordingly.\n(2) Subject to paragraph (3), where the accounts for a financial year of members of a fund-holding practice have been audited in accordance with Part III of the Local Government Finance Act 1972, the members of a fund-holding practice may, within the period of four years after the end of that financial year, continue to apply any part of the allotted sum paid to them in respect of that financial year for the purposes specified in regulations 19, 20, 22 and 24 and, in addition, with the written consent of the Health Authority, for any one or more of the following purposes—\n(a) the purchase of material or equipment which—\n(i) can be used for the treatment of patients of the members of the practice, or\n(ii) enhances the comfort or convenience of patients to the members of the practice, or\n(iii) enables the practice to be managed more effectively and efficiently; or\n(b) the purchase of material or equipment relating to health education; or\n(c) in relation to any premises from which the members of the practice carry on their practice—\n(i) improvements to the premises, including alterations to or decoration of the premises and the purchase of furniture and furnishings, and\n(ii) building an extension provided that no acquisition of land is involved.\n(d) the purchase of services in connection with an audit of clinical practice which relates to any of the goods and services which are included in the list of goods and services mentioned in regulation 20(2); or\n(e) commissioning research which relates to any of the goods and services included in the list mentioned in regulation 20(2); or\n(f) training for members of the fund-holding practice which is required in connection with their membership of the fund-holding practice.\n(3) The Health Authority shall consent to the application of any part of an allotted sum for any of the purposes specified in paragraph (2)(a) to (f) if it is satisfied that the expenditure would—\n(a) be for the benefit of the patients of the members of the practice; and\n(b) represent value for money.\n(4) Where the Health Authority refuses its consent under paragraph (3), it shall send to the members of the fund-holding practice a notice stating the reasons for its refusal and informing them of their right to appeal to the Secretary of State under paragraph (5).\n(5) The members of the fund-holding practice may, within the period of 28 days beginning with the day on which the notice referred to in paragraph (4) was sent, appeal to the Secretary of State against the Health Authority’s refusal of consent under paragraph (3).\n(6) An appeal to the Secretary of State shall be made in writing and shall include a statement of the grounds of appeal.\n(7) On any appeal under paragraph (4), the Secretary of State—\n(a) may, if he thinks fit, hold an oral hearing of the appeal and, in such a case, shall—\n(i) appoint one or more persons to hear the appeal and to report to him on it, and\n(ii) not less than 14 days before the date fixed for the hearing, give notice in writing to the members of the fund-holding practice and to the Health Authority; and\n(b) in determining the appeal, shall either confirm or reverse the decision of the Health Authority and shall communicate his decision, together with the reasons for it, to the members of the fund-holding practice and to the Health Authority.",
  "extent": null,
  "status": null,
  "version": "current",
  "annotations": [
    {
      "type": "footnote",
      "label": "f1",
      "text": "1982 c. 32, as amended by Schedule 4 to the 1990 Act."
    }
  ],
  "outstanding_effects": [
    {
      "type": "am. (saving)",
      "affecting": "uksi/1999/261",
      "affecting_title": "The National Health Service (Fund-holding Practices) Amendment Regulations 1999"
    },
    {
      "type": "rev.in pt. (saving)",
      "affecting": "uksi/1999/261",
      "affecting_title": "The National Health Service (Fund-holding Practices) Amendment Regulations 1999"
    },
    {
      "type": "amended",
      "affecting": "uksi/1997/747",
      "affecting_title": "The National Health Service (Fund-holding Practices) Amendment Regulations 1997"
    },
    {
      "type": "added",
      "affecting": "uksi/1997/747",
      "affecting_title": "The National Health Service (Fund-holding Practices) Amendment Regulations 1997"
    },
    {
      "type": "amended",
      "affecting": "uksi/1997/747",
      "affecting_title": "The National Health Service (Fund-holding Practices) Amendment Regulations 1997"
    },
    {
      "type": "amended",
      "affecting": "uksi/1998/693",
      "affecting_title": "The National Health Service (Fund-holding Amendment Regulations 1998 Practices)"
    },
    {
      "type": "amended",
      "affecting": "uksi/1998/693",
      "affecting_title": "The National Health Service (Fund-holding Amendment Regulations 1998 Practices)"
    },
    {
      "type": "amended",
      "affecting": "uksi/1998/693",
      "affecting_title": "The National Health Service (Fund-holding Amendment Regulations 1998 Practices)"
    },
    {
      "type": "substituted",
      "affecting": "uksi/1998/693",
      "affecting_title": "The National Health Service (Fund-holding Amendment Regulations 1998 Practices)"
    },
    {
      "type": "added",
      "affecting": "uksi/1998/693",
      "affecting_title": "The National Health Service (Fund-holding Amendment Regulations 1998 Practices)"
    },
    {
      "type": "added",
      "affecting": "uksi/1998/693",
      "affecting_title": "The National Health Service (Fund-holding Amendment Regulations 1998 Practices)"
    },
    {
      "type": "replaced (by reg.25(3)(3A))",
      "affecting": "uksi/1997/1678",
      "affecting_title": "The National Health Service (Fund-holding Practices) Amendment (No. 2) Regulations 1997"
    },
    {
      "type": "applied",
      "affecting": "uksi/1999/2541",
      "affecting_title": "The Health Act 1999 (Fund-holding Practices) (Transfer of Assets, Savings, Rights and Liabilities and Transitional Provisions) Order 1999"
    },
    {
      "type": "applied",
      "affecting": "uksi/1999/2541",
      "affecting_title": "The Health Act 1999 (Fund-holding Practices) (Transfer of Assets, Savings, Rights and Liabilities and Transitional Provisions) Order 1999"
    },
    {
      "type": "referred to (application cont.)",
      "affecting": "uksi/1999/2541",
      "affecting_title": "The Health Act 1999 (Fund-holding Practices) (Transfer of Assets, Savings, Rights and Liabilities and Transitional Provisions) Order 1999"
    }
  ],
  "provenance": {
    "source": "legislation.gov.uk",
    "source_url": "https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/1996/706/regulation/25",
    "retrieved_at": "2026-10-29T12:48:33.803383+00:00"
  },
  "licence": "Open Government Licence v3.0",
  "licence_url": "https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/",
  "attribution": "Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives."
}