Gas Act 1965

5 (1) Where the river authority have issued a certificate under this Schedule, the applicant for the certificate or the gas authority may appeal to the Minister concerned with water resources against the certificate.

(2) On the appeal the said Minister shall consider the matters to which the certificate relates as if the application for the certificate had been made to him in the first instance, and shall either confirm the certificate, or vary it, or cancel it and issue a different certificate in its place, as he may consider appropriate.

(3) Before determining any such appeal the said Minister shall, if the applicant or the gas authority so desires, afford to them and to the river authority an opportunity of appearing before and being heard by a person appointed by that Minister for the purpose.

(4) Where an application is made to a river authority for a certificate under this Schedule and at the expiry of any period prescribed by regulations under this Schedule (or if an extended period is at any time agreed upon in writing by the applicant and the river authority, at the end of that period) no certificate has been issued by the river authority in accordance with this Schedule, the foregoing provisions of this paragraph shall apply as if the river authority had issued a certificate under this Schedule stating that the statutory licence to abstract water required for the carrying out of the controlled operations could not reasonably have been expected to be granted.