(1)The Secretary of State may, after consultation with or on the recommendation of the Poisons Board, make rules with respect to any of the following matters or for any of the following purposes:—
(a)the sale, whether wholesale or retail, or the supply of non-medicinal poisons, by or to any persons or classes of persons and in particular but without prejudice to the generality of the foregoing provisions—
(i)for regulating or restricting the sale or supply of non-medicinal poisons by persons whose names are entered in a local authority’s list and for prohibiting the sale of any specified non-medicinal poison or class of non-medicinal poisons by any class of such persons; and
(ii)for dispensing with or relaxing with respect to non-medicinal poisons any of the preceding provisions of this Act relating to the sale of non-medicinal poisons;
(b)the storage, transport and labelling of non-medicinal poisons;
(c)the containers in which non-medicinal poisons may be sold or supplied;
(d)the addition to non-medicinal poisons of specified ingredients for the purpose of rendering them readily distinguishable as non-medicinal poisons;
(e)the compounding of non-medicinal poisons, and the supply of non-medicinal poisons on and in accordance with a prescription duly given by a doctor, a dentist, a veterinary surgeon or a veterinary practitioner;
(f)the period for which any books required to be kept for the purposes of this Act are to be preserved;
(g)the period for which any certificate given under section 3 of this Act is to remain in force;
(h)for prescribing anything which is by this Act to be prescribed by rules.
(2)The power to make rules under this section with respect to non-medicinal poisons includes power to make rules with respect to any class of non-medicinal poisons or any particular non-medicinal poison.
(3)The Secretary of State may issue to the Poisons Board a direction that the power of the Board to make recommendations as to the making of rules with respect to the matters or for the purposes specified in paragraphs (a)(i), (b), (c) and (d) of subsection (1) above shall not be exercised except after consultation with such body of persons as is specified in the direction, being a body which is, in his opinion, representative of persons engaged in the manufacture of poisons or preparations containing poisons, and the Board shall comply with any such direction.
(4)The Secretary of State may from time to time revoke or vary any direction issued under subsection (3) above, without prejudice to the issue of a new direction.