Gas Act 1965

1 Manufacture and supply of gas by Gas Council.

(1) The duties of the Gas Council shall include the duty to promote and assist the coordinated development of efficient and economical gas supplies in Great Britain.

(2) Without prejudice to the power of the Gas Council under section 2(2) of the [1948 c. 67.] Gas Act 1948 (in this Act referred to as " the principal Act") to perform services for, or act on behalf of, Area Boards, that Council shall have power—

(a) to manufacture gas, to get or acquire gas in or from Great Britain or elsewhere, and to supply gas in bulk to any Area Board, and

(b) to manufacture, treat, render saleable, supply or sell any such solid fuels, by-products and products as are mentioned in paragraph (c) of section 1(2) of the principal Act (powers of Area Boards), and

(c) to carry on all such activities as it may appear to the Council to be requisite, advantageous or convenient for them to carry on for or in connection with the exercise of their powers under either of the foregoing paragraphs.

(3) Where the Minister, after consultation with the Area Board, if any, within whose area the supply is to be given, has authorised the Gas Council to do so, the Gas Council shall also have power to supply gas to any person in Great Britain or elsewhere, and the Gas Council may exercise that power notwithstanding the provisions of section 52 of the principal Act (which restricts the supply of gas by persons other than Area Boards).

(4) The Gas Council, if and so long as they exercise any of the powers conferred on them by this Act, shall so exercise those powers as to secure that the revenues arising from such exercise are not less than sufficient to meet their outgoings in respect thereof properly chargeable to revenue account, taking one year with another.

(5) In carrying out, in the exercise and performance of their functions, any measures involving substantial outlay on capital account, the Gas Council shall act in accordance with a general programme settled by them from time to time with the approval of the Minister.

(6) In exercising and performing their functions the Gas Council shall promote the welfare, health and safety of persons in their employment.

(7) Stamp duty shall not be chargeable on any instrument which is certified to the Commissioners of Inland Revenue by the Gas Council as having been made solely for the purpose of conveying or transferring from an Area Board to the Gas Council any property, interest or right for the purpose of enabling the Gas Council to exercise the powers conferred on them by subsection (2) of this section:

Provided that no such instrument shall be deemed to be duly stamped unless either it is stamped with the duty to which it would but for this subsection be liable, or it has, in accordance with the provisions of section 12 of the [1891 c. 39.] Stamp Act 1891, been stamped with a particular stamp denoting that it is not chargeable with any duty or that it is duly stamped.

(8) Part I of the [1956 c. 68.] Restrictive Trade Practices Act 1956 shall not apply to any agreement made by the Gas Council under subsection (2) of this section with any Area Board or group of Area Boards for, or for regulating,—

(a) the acquisition from, or supply to, the Board or Boards of gas in bulk ; or

(b) the supply to the Board or Boards of solid fuels, by-products or products;

not being an agreement under which any Board accepts, or is treated as accepting, a restriction on the persons or classes of persons from whom gas or any other substance of the description dealt with by the agreement is to be acquired.

(9) The Acts mentioned in Schedule 1 to this Act shall be amended as there provided (being amendments relating to the Gas Council).

(10) This section shall be construed as one with the principal Act.