PUBLIC HEALTH Citation and commencement 1 This Order may be cited as the Health Protection Agency Order (Northern Ireland) 2007 and shall come into operation on 31st July 2007. Interpretation 2 1 The Interpretation Act (Northern Ireland) 1954 shall apply to this Order as it applies to an Act of the Assembly. 2 In this Order— “the competent IHR authority in Northern Ireland” means the Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety; “the IHR” means the International Health Regulations (2005) of WHO adopted by the fifty-eighth World Health Assembly on 23rd May 2005; “National IHR Focal Point” means the national centre, designated by a State Party to the IHR, which shall be accessible at all times for communications with the WHO IHR Contact Point under the IHR; “public health emergency of international concern” has the meaning set out in Article 1 of the IHR; “World Health Assembly” has the meaning set out in the Constitution of the World Health Organization adopted by the International Health Conference held in New York from 19th June to 22nd July 1946 and signed on 22nd July 1946; “WHO” means the World Health Organization, a specialised agency within the terms of Article 57 of the Charter of the United Nations, established by the Constitution of the World Health Organization; and “WHO IHR Contact Point” means the unit within WHO which shall be accessible at all times for communications with the National IHR Focal Point. Functions 3 1 There are conferred on the Health Protection Agency the following functions— a the assessment under and in accordance with Article 6.1 of the IHR of events in Northern Ireland that may constitute a public health emergency of international concern; b acting, in relation to Northern Ireland, as a National IHR Focal Point as described in the IHR, in particular— i to be accessible at all times for communication with the WHO IHR Contact Point; ii to send to the WHO IHR Contact Point urgent communications concerning the implementation of the IHR, in particular under Articles 6 to 12 of the IHR; iii to disseminate information to, and consolidate information from, the competent IHR authority in Northern Ireland; iv to communicate with the competent IHR authority in Northern Ireland on the relevant public health measures taken pursuant to the IHR; and v to receive reports from the competent IHR authority in Northern Ireland on implementation of necessary additional health measures including isolation of conveyances to prevent the spread of disease in accordance with Article 27.1 of the IHR; c in relation to Northern Ireland and its role as National IHR Focal Point, the provision to WHO of contact details and thereafter: i continuously updating WHO in relation to any changes to such contact details; and ii confirming such contact details to WHO annually; and d the provision to WHO, in accordance with the function described at Article 20.3 of the IHR, of— i a list of bodies authorised to issue or extend the validity of Ship Sanitation Control Certificates or Ship Sanitation Control Exemption Certificates in Northern Ireland; and ii information on any changes which may occur to the status of the listed bodies. Sealed with the Official Seal of the Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety on 10th July 2007. David Bingham A Senior Officer of the Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety