Gas Regulation Act, 1920

Power to make special orders. 33 & 34 Vict. c. 70.

1 Edw. 7.c. 22.

10.(1) Anything which under the Gas and Water Works Facilities Act, 1870, or any Act amending the same, may be effeted by a provisional order confirmed by Parliament may, so far as those enactments relate to gas, be effected by a special order made on the application of any local authority, company, or person by the Board of Trade under and in accordance with the provisions of this section, and for the purposes of the powers conferred by this section the Gas and Water Works Facilities Act, 1870, shall have effect as though section fifteen thereof, which excludes the Metropolis from the operation of the Act, were omitted therefrom.

(2) Without prejudice to the generality of the powers conferred by this section, the Board of Trade may, by any such special order—

(a) empower any undertakers to obtain a supply of gas in bulk from any source whether situated within or without their authorised limits of supply:

(b) empower any undertakers to give a separate supply of gas for industrial purposes within their authorised limits of supply:

(c) authorise any local authority which may be authorised to supply gas within their district to supply gas outside the district in any area which is not supplied with gas by any other undertakers or which is within the area of supply of any undertakers whose undertaking has been acquired by such local authority:

(d) authorise arrangements for the purchase by agreement, joint working or amalgamation of undertakings, including necessary provisions with regard to the capital of the combined undertaking, the vesting of the property and rights of the purchased or amalgamated undertakings, and other necessary incidents and consequences of purchase, amalgamation or joint working:

(e) authorise the establishment of superannuation, pension and other like funds:

(f) authorise the raising of capital or the borrowing of money for any of the purposes aforesaid:

(g) make provision for the purchase or redemption (out of revenue or otherwise) and cancellation of debentures, debenture stock, mortgages or bonds, or of obsolete or unproductive capital, or capital not represented by available assets:

(h) modify or amend the provisions of any special Act or other provision relating to the undertaking affected by the special order as may be necessary to provide for the proper and efficient conduct of the undertaking:

(i) make such supplemental and consequential provisions as appear necessary to give full effect to the order.

(3) Sections eighty and eighty-one of the Factory and Workshop Act, 1901, which relate tot he making of regulations under that Act, as set out and adapted in the Schedule to this Act, shall apply to the making of special orders under this Act.

(4) Before any special order under this Act is made, it shall be laid in draft before both Houses of Parliament, and such order shall not be made unless both Houses, by resolution, approve the draft, either without modification or addition or with modifications or additions to which both Houses agree, but upon such approval being given the Board of Trade may make the order in the form in which it has been approved, and the order on being so made shall be of full force and effect.

(5) For the purposes of any Act of Parliament, whether passed before or after this Act, which refers directly or indirectly to a special Act conferring powers on gas undertakers, a special order under this Act shall be deemed to be a special Act.

General.