8Functions, &c., of the Committee

8 Functions, &c., of the Committee

(1)  *[Section 8 Subsection (1) amended by No. 5 of 1990, s. 3 and Sched. 1 ]*The Committee –

(a) may, either of its own motion or when requested to do so by the Minister, carry out such investigations as it considers necessary to determine whether or not, having regard to –

(i) such specific matters as are prescribed for the purposes of this paragraph;

(ii) any reports submitted to the Committee pursuant to paragraph (b) ; and

(iii) all other matters that the Committee considers relevant or that, in any particular case, the Minister directs it to take into consideration –

it would be practicable to add fluoride to any particular public water supply;

(b) for the purpose of carrying out such investigations as are referred to in paragraph (a) in relation to a public water supply, may require the Secretary of the Department to obtain and submit to the Committee such reports as it may require or as are prescribed with respect to –

(i) the incidence of dental fluorosis or idiopathic mottling, or both, in the district that is served by that water supply; and

(ii) the dental health of school children residing within that district;

(c) after making such investigations as are mentioned in paragraph (a) , may make written recommendations to the Minister as to whether, in the opinion of the Committee, the addition of fluoride to the particular public water supply is or is not practicable, and –

(i) [Section 8 Subsection (1) amended by No. 39 of 2009, s. 5, Applied:01 Oct 2009] if in the opinion of the Committee it is practicable to add fluoride to that water supply, shall recommend to the Minister in writing the method to be adopted for that purpose and the chemical (and the concentration thereof) to be used for that purpose; or

(ii) if in its opinion it is not practicable to add fluoride to the public water supply, shall make to the Minister in writing such recommendations as it thinks desirable with respect to the alternative method (if any) to be adopted for the purpose of ensuring the daily ingestion of fluoride by the inhabitants of any district served by that water supply and the manner of achieving that purpose;