Explosives (Amendment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1996

Statutory Rules of Northern Ireland

1996 No. 429

EXPLOSIVES

Explosives (Amendment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1996

Made

31st July 1996

To be laid before Parliament

Coming into operation

2nd December 1996

The Secretary of State, in pursuance of section 3 of the Explosives Act (Northern Ireland) 1970(1) and Article 3 of the Explosives (Northern Ireland) Order 1972(2) hereby makes the following regulations:—

Citation and commencement

1.  These regulations may be cited as the Explosives (Amendment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1996 and shall come into operation on 2nd December 1996.

Amendment of the Explosives Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1972

2.  Regulation 2 of the Explosives Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1972(3) shall be amended as follows—

(a) at the end of paragraph (1)(a) there shall be added the words “or any solution which contains ammonium nitrate”;

(b) for paragraph (1)(b) there shall be substituted the following sub-paragraph—

“(b) any mixture, including a fertiliser, which contains ammonium nitrate and in which the ammonium nitrate content of any particulate component of such mixture constitutes more than 79 per cent by weight of the said component;

or”;

(c) after paragraph (1) there shall be inserted the following paragraph—

“(1A) In this regulation “ammonium nitrate content of any particulate component” means the ammonium nitrate contained in such component together with any other nitrate contained therein expressed as an ammonium nitrate equivalent.”;

(d) in paragraph (2) for the words “paragraph (1)” there shall be substituted the words “this regulation”.

P. B. B. Mayhew

One of Her Majesty’s Principal Secretaries of State

Northern Ireland Office

31st July 1996

Explanatory Note

(This note is not part of the Regulations.)

These regulations amend the Explosives Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1972 (“the 1972 regulations”) with effect from 2nd December 1996.

Regulation 2(1)(a) and (b) of the 1972 regulations made it an offence, otherwise than in accordance with a licence from the Ministry of Home Affairs, to manufacture, sell, purchase or acquire ammonium nitrate; or any mixture, including a fertiliser, containing ammonium nitrate and in which any part of the nitrate fraction, having a chemically determined ammonium equivalent constituted, together with that equivalent, more than 79 per cent by weight of the said mixture.

Regulation 2(a) extends the prohibition in regulation 2(1)(a) of the 1972 regulations to any solution which contains ammonium nitrate.

Regulation 2(b) substitutes a new sub-paragraph for paragraph (1)(b) of, and regulation 2(c) inserts a new paragraph (1A) in, regulation 2 of the 1972 regulations to provide that the prohibition in regulation 2 shall apply to any mixture in which the ammonium nitrate content (as defined in paragraph (1A)) of any particulate component of such mixture is more than 79 per cent by weight of the said component.

(1)

1970 c. 10 (N.I.) as modified by S.I. 1973/2163

(2)

S.I. 1972/730 (N.I. 3)

(3)

S.R. & O. (N.I.) 1972 No. 118 as amended by S.R. & O. (N.I.) 1973 No. 171