Water Industry Act 1991

[F1 17M References under section 17K: powers of investigation U.K.

(1) The following sections of Part 3 of the Enterprise Act 2002 shall apply, [F2 as they had effect immediately before the relevant date and] with the modifications mentioned in subsections [F3 (1A),] (2) and (3) below, for the purposes of references under section 17K above as they [F4 applied immediately before that date] for the purposes of references under that Part—

(a) section 109 (attendance of witnesses and production of documents etc);

(b) section 110 (enforcement of powers under section 109: general);

(c) section 111 (penalties);

(d) section 112 (penalties: main procedural requirements);

(e) section 113 (payments and interest by instalments);

(f) section 114 (appeals in relation to penalties);

(g) section 115 (recovery of penalties); and

(h) section 116 (statement of policy).

[F5 (1A) Section 109 shall, in its application by virtue of subsection (1) above, have effect as if—

(a) for subsection (A1), there were substituted—

“(A1) For the purposes of this section, a permitted purpose is assisting the CMA in carrying out any functions exercisable by it in connection with a reference under section 17K of the Water Industry Act 1991.”, and

(b) subsection (8A) were omitted.]

(2) Section 110 shall, in its application by virtue of subsection (1) above, have effect as if—

(a) subsection (2) were omitted; F6 ...

[F7 (aa) after subsection (3), there were inserted—

“(3A) No penalty shall be imposed by virtue of subsection (1) or (3) if more than 4 weeks have passed since the publication of the report of the CMA on the reference concerned; but this subsection shall not apply in relation to any variation or substitution of the penalty which is permitted by virtue of this Part.”; and]

(b) in subsection (9) the words from “or section” to “section 65(3))” were omitted.

[F8 (3) Section 111(5)(b) shall, in its application by virtue of subsection (1) above, have effect as if for sub-paragraph (ii) there were substituted—

“(ii) if earlier, the day on which the report of the CMA on the reference concerned is made or, if no such report is made within the period permitted for that purpose, the latest day on which the report may be made within the permitted period.”.]

(4) Provisions of Part 3 of the Enterprise Act 2002 which [F9 , immediately before the relevant date, had] effect for the purposes of sections 109 to 116 of that Act (including, in particular, provisions relating to offences and the making of orders) shall, for the purposes of the application of those sections by virtue of subsection (1) above, have effect in relation to those sections as applied by virtue of that subsection [F10 as those provisions had effect immediately before that date].

(5) Accordingly, corresponding provisions of this Act shall not have effect in relation to those sections as applied by virtue of that subsection.

[F11 (6) In this section “the relevant date” means the date on which section 143 of the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024 came into force.]]

Textual Amendments

F1 Pt. 2 Ch. 1A inserted (1.4.2004 for specified provisions and purposes and 1.8.2005 for further specified provisions and purposes and 1.10.2005 for further specified provisions and 1.12.2005 otherwise) by Water Act 2003 (c. 37), ss. 56, 105(3), Sch. 4 para. 2; S.I. 2004/641, art. 3(l), Sch. 1 (with art. 6, Sch. 3); S.I. 2005/968, art. 3(b) (with savings in art. 4, Sch. 1, 2); S.I. 2005/2714, arts. 2(h), 3(a) (with Sch. para. 5)

F2 Words in s. 17M(1) inserted (1.1.2025) by Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024 (c. 13), s. 339(1), Sch. 30 para. 14(2)(a); S.I. 2024/1226, regs. 1(2), 2(1)(22)

F3 Word in s. 17M(1) inserted (1.4.2014) by The Enterprise and Regulatory Reform Act 2013 (Competition) (Consequential, Transitional and Saving Provisions) Order 2014 (S.I. 2014/892), art. 1(1), Sch. 1 para. 78(2) (with art. 3, Sch. 2 para. 2)

F4 Words in s. 17M(1) substituted (1.1.2025) by Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024 (c. 13), s. 339(1), Sch. 30 para. 14(2)(b); S.I. 2024/1226, regs. 1(2), 2(1)(22)

F5 S. 17M(1A) inserted (1.4.2014) by The Enterprise and Regulatory Reform Act 2013 (Competition) (Consequential, Transitional and Saving Provisions) Order 2014 (S.I. 2014/892), art. 1(1), Sch. 1 para. 78(3) (with art. 3, Sch. 2 para. 2)

F6 Word in s. 17M(2)(a) omitted (1.4.2014) by virtue of The Enterprise and Regulatory Reform Act 2013 (Competition) (Consequential, Transitional and Saving Provisions) Order 2014 (S.I. 2014/892), art. 1(1), Sch. 1 para. 78(4)(a) (with art. 3, Sch. 2 para. 2)

F7 S. 17M(2)(aa) inserted (1.4.2014) by The Enterprise and Regulatory Reform Act 2013 (Competition) (Consequential, Transitional and Saving Provisions) Order 2014 (S.I. 2014/892), art. 1(1), Sch. 1 para. 78(4)(b) (with art. 3, Sch. 2 para. 2)

F8 S. 17M(3) substituted (1.4.2014) by The Enterprise and Regulatory Reform Act 2013 (Competition) (Consequential, Transitional and Saving Provisions) Order 2014 (S.I. 2014/892), art. 1(1), Sch. 1 para. 78(5) (with art. 3, Sch. 2 para. 2)

F9 Words in s. 17M(4) substituted (1.1.2025) by Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024 (c. 13), s. 339(1), Sch. 30 para. 14(3)(a); S.I. 2024/1226, regs. 1(2), 2(1)(22)

F10 Words in s. 17M(4) inserted (1.1.2025) by Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024 (c. 13), s. 339(1), Sch. 30 para. 14(3)(b); S.I. 2024/1226, regs. 1(2), 2(1)(22)

F11 S. 17M(6) inserted (1.1.2025) by Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024 (c. 13), s. 339(1), Sch. 30 para. 14(4); S.I. 2024/1226, regs. 1(2), 2(1)(22)

Modifications etc. (not altering text)

C1 Pt. 2 Ch. 1A applied (with modifications) (28.6.2013) by The Water Industry (Specified Infrastructure Projects) (English Undertakers) Regulations 2013 (S.I. 2013/1582), reg. 1(1)(b), Sch. 1 para. 3(1) (with reg. 1(1)(c))

C2 Pt. 2 Ch. 1A applied (with modifications) (28.6.2013) by The Water Industry (Specified Infrastructure Projects) (English Undertakers) Regulations 2013 (S.I. 2013/1582), reg. 1(1)(b), Sch. 1 para. 5(1) (with reg. 1(1)(c))

C3 Pt. 2 Ch. 1A applied (with modifications) (28.6.2013) by The Water Industry (Specified Infrastructure Projects) (English Undertakers) Regulations 2013 (S.I. 2013/1582), reg. 1(1)(b), Sch. 1 para. 4 (with reg. 1(1)(c))

C4 Pt. 2 Ch. 1A modified (28.6.2013) by The Water Industry (Specified Infrastructure Projects) (English Undertakers) Regulations 2013 (S.I. 2013/1582), reg. 1(1)(b), Sch. 1 para. 3(2) (with reg. 1(1)(c))

C5 Ss. 17L, 17M applied (28.6.2013) by The Water Industry (Specified Infrastructure Projects) (English Undertakers) Regulations 2013 (S.I. 2013/1582), reg. 1(1)(b), Sch. 1 para. 5(3) (with reg. 1(1)(c))