{
  "url": "https://openlegislation.uk/opticians-act-1989/section-13C",
  "json_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/opticians-act-1989/section-13C.json",
  "legislation": "ukpga/1989/44",
  "legislation_title": "Opticians Act 1989",
  "legislation_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/opticians-act-1989",
  "path": "section/13C",
  "kind": "section",
  "number": "13C",
  "heading": "Notification and disclosure by the Council",
  "text": "(1) As soon as is reasonably practicable after an allegation is received by the Council relating to a registered optometrist’s or registered dispensing optician’s fitness to practise or, in the case of a business registrant, its fitness to carry on business as an optometrist or a dispensing optician or both, or in the case of a student registrant, his fitness to undertake training, they shall notify the persons specified in subsection (2) below of an investigation under this Part by the Council or any of its Committees of—\n(a) a registered optometrist’s or a registered dispensing optician’s fitness to practise;\n(b) a business registrant’s fitness to carry on business as an optometrist or a dispensing optician, or to carry on both businesses; or\n(c) a student registrant’s fitness to undertake training.\n(2) The persons specified in this subsection are—\n(a) the Secretary of State, the Scottish Ministers, the Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety in Northern Ireland and the National Assembly for Wales; and\n(b) any person in the United Kingdom of whom the Council are aware by whom the registered optometrist, registered dispensing optician or student registrant is employed.\n(3) The Council may disclose to any person any information relating to—\n(a) a registered optometrist’s or a registered dispensing optician’s fitness to practise;\n(b) a business registrant’s fitness to carry on business as an optometrist or a dispensing optician, or to carry on both businesses; or\n(c) a student registrant’s fitness to undertake training,\nwhich they consider it to be in the public interest to disclose.",
  "extent": null,
  "status": null,
  "version": "current",
  "annotations": [
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F1",
      "text": "Pt. 2A inserted (coming into force in accordance with art. 1(3)-(6) of the amending S.I.) by The Opticians Act 1989 (Amendment) Order 2005 (S.I. 2005/848), art. 16 (with Sch. 2)"
    }
  ],
  "outstanding_effects": [],
  "provenance": {
    "source": "legislation.gov.uk",
    "source_url": "https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1989/44/section/13C",
    "retrieved_at": "2026-10-29T09:44:45.355543+00:00",
    "licence": "OGL-UK-3.0",
    "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."
  }
}