Gas Act 1965

PART III General.

29 Modification of section 52 of principal Act.

(1) Section 52 of the principal Act (which prohibits any new piped supply of gas except with the consent of the Area Board and in accordance with such conditions as may be attached to that consent) shall have effect subject to the following provisions of this section.

(2) An Area Board shall give their consent under that section to the supply of gas if the supply is for such purposes as are mentioned in the next following subsection.

(3) The said purposes are industrial purposes which do not consist of or include the use as a fuel of the gas which it is proposed to supply except in so far as the gas is required to provide heat or other energy required—

(a) for a process in which the gas is used otherwise than as a fuel; or

(b) where such a process is one of a series, for any further process in the same series, not being a process in which a bulk product is converted into manufactured articles ;

and in determining whether any industrial purposes are as mentioned in this subsection the use of any gas derived, otherwise than as a by-product, from the gas which it is proposed to supply shall be treated as the use of that gas.

(4) If any question arises whether the purposes for which gas is to be supplied are purposes mentioned in the last foregoing subsection, it shall be determined by the Minister.

(5) Notwithstanding anything in subsection (1) of the said section 52, an Area Board shall not attach any conditions to their consent to a supply of gas for purposes so mentioned, except conditions requiring the supplier of the gas to provide, periodically or on request by the Board, information with respect to the type of gas supplied, the amount supplied and the use of the gas supplied; and any person aggrieved by any such condition may refer it to the Minister, who may confirm, vary or revoke it or impose instead some other condition which the Area Board could have imposed under this subsection.

(6) The said section 52 shall not apply to natural gas gotten in Great Britain in pursuance of a licence under the [1934 c. 36.] Petroleum (Production) Act 1934.

30 General powers of gas authorities.

(1) It is hereby declared that in section 1(4) and section 2(5) of the principal Act (which enable Area Boards and the Gas Council to do anything which in their opinion is calculated to facilitate the exercise or performance of any functions conferred or imposed on them by any enactment) the reference to any enactment includes a reference to an enactment in this Act or in any other Act passed after the principal Act.

(2) References in this Act to powers conferred on the Gas Council by any provision of this Act are references to the powers conferred by that provision as extended by the said section 2(5) of the principal Act.

31 Financial provisions.

(1) Any additional sums which, in consequence of the provisions of this Act, may be required to be issued out of the Consolidated Fund, or paid into the Exchequer, or raised by the Treasury, under section 2 of the [1963 c. 59.] Electricity and Gas Act 1963 (Exchequer advances to nationalised industries) or section 45 of the principal Act (Treasury guarantees) shall be charged on and issued out of the Consolidated Fund, or paid into the Exchequer, or may be raised by the Treasury, as the case may be.

(2) There shall be paid out of moneys provided by Parliament—

(a) any administrative expenses incurred by any Minister under or in consequence of the provisions of this Act,

(b) any additional sums so payable in consequence of the provisions of this Act under the Superannuation Acts 1834 to 1960, and

(c) any increase attributable to this Act in the sums payable out of money so provided by way of Rate-Deficiency Grant or Exchequer Equalisation Grant under the enactments relating to local government in England and Wales or in Scotland.

32 Short title, interpretation, extent and commencement.

(1) This Act may be cited as the Gas Act 1965.

(2) In this Act " the principal Act " means the [1948 c. 67.] Gas Act 1948, " Area Board " has the same meaning as in that Act and " the Minister " means the Minister of Power.

(3) Except in so far as the context otherwise requires, any reference in this Act to any enactment shall be construed as a reference to that enactment as amended by or under any other enactment, including this Act.

(4) This Act shall not extend to Northern Ireland.

(5) Part I and this Part of this Act shall come into force on the passing of this Act, and Part II of this Act shall come into force on such date as the Minister may by order in a statutory instrument appoint, and different dates may be appointed under this subsection for different provisions of that Part or for different purposes.