(1)The Secretary of State may authorise a body to carry on in the United Kingdom such of the classes of insurance business specified in Schedule 1 or 2 to this Act, or such parts of those classes, as may be specified in the authorisation.
(2)An authorisation under this section may be restricted to industrial assurance business or to reinsurance business; and a body may not carry on industrial assurance business by virtue of an authorisation under this section unless the authorisation expressly extends to such business.
(3)An authorisation under this section may identify classes or parts of classes of general business by referring to the appropriate groups specified in Part II of Schedule 2 to this Act.
(4)On the issue to a body of an authorisation under this section, any previous authorisation of that body under this section or section 4 below shall lapse.
(1)A body that was, immediately before the commencement of this Act, authorised under section 3 or 4 of the [1981 c. 31.] Insurance Companies Act 1981 to carry on in the United Kingdom insurance business of a class specified in Schedule 1 or 2 to that Act (or a part of such a class) is authorised to carry on there insurance business of the class identified by the same number in Schedule 1 or 2 to this Act (or that part of such a class).
(2)A body may not carry on industrial assurance business by virtue of this section unless—
(a)it was carrying on such business immediately before 1st January 1982, or
(b)it was immediately before the commencement of this Act authorised to carry on such business under section 3 of the Insurance Companies Act 1981.