Amendment of section 4 (delegation of certain functions of heads) of Principal Act
3.–Section 4 of the Principal Act is amended by deleting subsection (5).


Amendment of section 6 (right of access to records) of Principal Act
4.–Section 6 of the Principal Act is amended by the addition of the following subsection:

"(11) (a) In subsections (4) to (6), 'commencement of this Act', in relation to local authorities and health boards, means 21 October, 1998.

(b) In subsection (9), 'person' does not include a public body or any other body, organisation or group that is specified in clauses (a) to (g) of subparagraph (5) of paragraph 1 of the First Schedule and does not stand prescribed for the time being for the purposes of that subparagraph.".


Amendment of section 7 (requests for access to records) of Principal Act
5.–Section 7 of the Principal Act is amended by inserting the following subsection after subsection (7):

"(8) A person who makes a request under subsection (1) may, at any time before the making of a decision under section 8(1) in relation to the request, by notice in writing or in such other form as may be determined, given to the head concerned, withdraw the request and the head concerned shall cause notice of the withdrawal to be given to any other person to whom, in the opinion of the head, it should be given.".