Section 53

The Council may appoint one or more committees comprising 3 of its members, each to be known for the purposes of this Act as an Interim Orders Committee, to inquire into any matter referred by the Council under subsection (3).

An Interim Orders Committee may be appointed in connection with one or more matters or for a fixed period of time.

The chairperson of the Complaints Panel, a Complaints Committee, a Disciplinary Committee or the Health Committee may refer any complaint or information to the Council for the purpose of determining if an order should be made under section 54; and the Council must refer the complaint or information to an Interim Orders Committee for this purpose.

A member of a Complaints Committee or Disciplinary Committee inquiring into any matter must not be a member of an Interim Orders Committee inquiring into or reviewing that matter.

A member of an Interim Orders Committee inquiring into or reviewing any matter must not be a member of a Complaints Committee or Disciplinary Committee inquiring into that matter, or take part in any deliberation of the Council under section 51(4) in respect of that matter.

Neither the chairperson of the Complaints Panel nor any member of the Health Committee may be a member of an Interim Orders Committee.

All members of an Interim Orders Committee must vote on any question arising at a meeting of the Interim Orders Committee and the question must be determined by a majority of votes.

A member of an Interim Orders Committee which has commenced any inquiry or review of any case must, despite having ceased to be a member of the Council, continue to be a member of the Interim Orders Committee until the completion of that inquiry or review.

Sections 42(5), (6) and (7) and 43(1), (4) to (8) and (11) apply, with the necessary modifications, to an Interim Orders Committee and to proceedings before it as they apply to a Disciplinary Committee and to proceedings before a Disciplinary Committee.