Public Hospitals Act, 1933

The National Hospital Trustees.

20.—(1) As soon as conveniently may be after the passing of this Act, the Minister shall by order establish a body of five trustees, to be styled the National Hospital Trustees, to exercise the powers and perform the duties assigned to them by this Act.

(2) The National Hospital Trustees shall be appointed by the Minister by order and every such trustee shall, unless he sooner dies, resigns, or is removed from office, hold office as such trustee for five years from the date of his appointment, but shall be eligible for reappointment.

(3) The Minister may at any time by order remove any person whom he has appointed to the office of National Hospital Trustee from that office.

(4) An order of the Minister appointing a National Hospital Trustee or Trustees may, if the circumstances so require, declare that all property, real or personal, which then is or ought to be vested in the National Hospital Trustees shall vest in the trustee or trustees so appointed in conjunction with the continuing trustees (if any), and every such declaration shall operate to vest in such appointed and continuing trustees as joint tenants all such property for all the estate and interest therein which should properly be vested in such trustees and shall, in respect of all such property which is by law transferable only in the books of any authority, bank, company, or other person, confer on such trustees the right to call for a transfer of such property in such books and, in the case of all other property, shall effect such vesting without any further or other conveyance.

(5) The National Hospital Trustees may act notwithstanding one, but only one, vacancy in their number.

(6) The law relating to the liability of trustees for breaches of trust and for depreciation or loss of trust funds and to the immunity of trustees from such liability shall apply to the National Hospital Trustees in like manner as it applies to trustees appointed by deed, and for the purpose of proceedings to enforce any such liability the Minister shall be deemed to be the person beneficially entitled to the Hospitals Trust Fund.

(7) All expenses incurred by the National Hospital Trustees, with the sanction of the Minister, in the execution of their functions under this Act shall be defrayed out of the Hospitals Trust Fund.