Criminal Justice Act 1982

40 General increase of fines under subordinate instruments

(1) Subject to subsection (4) below, this section applies to any enactment contained in an Act passed before this Act (however framed or worded) which confers a power, created not later than 29th July 1977, by subordinate instrument to make a person, as regards any summary offence (whether or not created by the instrument), liable on conviction to a fine or maximum fine which—

(a) is less than £1,000 ; and

(b) was not altered by section 31 of the [1977 c. 45.] Criminal Law Act 1977,

if the fine or maximum fine to which a person may be made liable by virtue of the enactment has not been altered since 29th July 1977 or has only been altered since that date by section 36 above.

(2) Subject to subsection (7) below, where an enactment to which this section applies confers a power by subordinate instrument to make a person, as regards a summary offence, liable on conviction to a fine or maximum fine in respect of a specified quantity or a specified number of things, that fine or maximum fine shall be treated for the purposes of this section as being the fine or maximum fine to which a person may be made liable by virtue of the enactment.

(3) Where an enactment to which this section applies confers a power to provide for different fines or maximum fines in relation to different circumstances or persons of different descriptions, the amounts specified as those fines or maximum fines are to be treated separately for the purposes of this section.

(4) This section shall not affect so much of any enactment as (in whatever words) confers power by subordinate instrument to make a person liable on conviction to a fine or maximum fine for each period of a specified length during which a continuing offence is continued.

(5) Subject to subsection (6) below, the fine or maximum fine to which a person may be made liable by virtue of an enactment to which this section applies shall be increased to the amount at the appropriate level on the standard scale.

(6) Subsection (5) above does not apply—

(a) to section 67(3) of the [1962 c. 46.] Transport Act 1962 (byelaws for railways and railway shipping services);

(b) to section 25(2) of the [1969 c. 1.] London Transport Act 1969 (byelaws for road transport premises);

(c) to the enactments specified in Part II of Schedule 2 to the [1977 c. xv.] City of London (Various Powers) Act 1977; or

(d) to the enactments specified in Schedule 2 to the [1977 c. xvii.] British Railways Act 1977.

(7) Where an enactment to which this section applies confers a power by subordinate instrument to make a person, as regards a summary offence, liable on conviction to a fine or maximum fine in respect of a specified quantity or a specified number of things but also confers a power by subordinate instrument to make a person, as regards such an offence, liable on conviction to an alternative fine or maximum fine, subsection (5) above shall have effect to increase—

(a) the alternative fine ; and

(b) any amount that the enactment specifies as the maximum fine for which a subordinate instrument made in the exercise of the power conferred by it may provide,

as well as the fine or maximum fine which it has effect to increase by virtue of subsection (2) above.

(8) Subject to subsection (9) below, the appropriate level on the standard scale for the purposes of subsections (5) and (7) above is the level on that scale next above the amount that falls to be increased.

(9) If the amount that falls to be increased is £400 or more but less than £500, the appropriate level is £1,000.

(10) Where section 36 above applies, the amount that falls to be increased is the fine or maximum fine to which a person may be made liable by virtue of that section.