Employment (Continental Shelf) Act 1978

1978 CHAPTER 46

An Act to make provision for the application of certain enactments to employment connected with the exploration or exploitation of areas of the continental shelf adjacent to areas designated under the Continental Shelf Act 1964.

[31st July 1978]

Be it enacted by the Queen's most Excellent Majesty, by and with the advice and consent of the Lords Spiritual and Temporal, and Commons, in this present Parliament assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:—

1 Powers to apply employment legislation.

(1) The employment to which section 127 of the [1975 c. 71.] Employment Protection Act 1975 (power to extend employment legislation by Order in Council) applies shall include employment for the purposes of any activities connected with the exploration or exploitation, in a foreign sector of the continental shelf, of a cross-boundary petroleum field.

(2) In relation to employment concerned with the exploration or exploitation of a cross-boundary petroleum field, the powers to make Orders in Council under—

(a) section 10(5) of the [1975 c. 65.] Sex Discrimination Act 1975, and

(b) section 8(5) of the [1976 c. 74.] Race Relations Act 1976,

in respect of designated areas shall be exercisable also in respect of foreign sectors of the continental shelf.

2 Interpretation.

In section 1 above—

• " cross-boundary petroleum field " means a petroleum field that extends across the boundary between a designated area and a foreign sector of the continental shelf;

• " designated area " means an area designated under section 1(7) of the [1964 c. 29.] Continental Shelf Act 1964;

• " foreign sector of the continental shelf " means an area which is outside the territorial waters of any State and within which rights are exercisable by a State other than the United Kingdom with respect to the sea bed and subsoil and their natural resources;

• " petroleum field " means a geological structure identified as an oil or gas field by the Order in Council concerned.

3 Short title.

This Act may be cited as the Employment (Continental Shelf) Act 1978.