Water Resources Act 1991

[F1191B Exclusion from registers of certain confidential information.E+W

(1)No information relating to the affairs of any individual or business shall, without the consent of that individual or the person for the time being carrying on that business, be included in a register kept or maintained by the [F2appropriate agency] under any provision of this Act, if and so long as the information—

(a)is, in relation to him, commercially confidential; and

(b)is not required to be included in the register in pursuance of directions under subsection (7) below;

but information is not commercially confidential for the purposes of this section unless it is determined under this section to be so by the [F2appropriate agency] or, on appeal, by the Secretary of State.

(2)Where information is furnished to the [F2appropriate agency] for the purpose of—

F3(a). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

F4(b). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

(c)complying with a notice under section 202 below,

then, if the person furnishing it applies to the [F2appropriate agency] to have the information excluded from any register kept or maintained by the [F2appropriate agency] under any provision of this Act, on the ground that it is commercially confidential (as regards himself or another person), the [F2appropriate agency] shall determine whether the information is or is not commercially confidential.

(3)A determination under subsection (2) above must be made within the period of fourteen days beginning with the date of the application and if the [F2appropriate agency] fails to make a determination within that period it shall be treated as having determined that the information is commercially confidential.

(4)Where it appears to the [F2appropriate agency] that any information (other than information furnished in circumstances within subsection (2) above) which has been obtained by the [F2appropriate agency] under or by virtue of any provision of any enactment might be commercially confidential, the [F2appropriate agency] shall—

(a)give to the person to whom or whose business it relates notice that that information is required to be included in a register kept or maintained by the [F2appropriate agency] under any provision of this Act, unless excluded under this section; and

(b)give him a reasonable opportunity—

(i)of objecting to the inclusion of the information on the ground that it is commercially confidential; and

(ii)of making representations to the [F2appropriate agency] for the purpose of justifying any such objection;

and, if any representations are made, the [F2appropriate agency] shall, having taken the representations into account, determine whether the information is or is not commercially confidential.

(5)Where, under subsection (2) or (4) above, the [F2appropriate agency] determines that information is not commercially confidential—

(a)the information shall not be entered on the register until the end of the period of twenty-one days beginning with the date on which the determination is notified to the person concerned; and

(b)that person may appeal to the Secretary of State against the decision;

and, where an appeal is brought in respect of any information, the information shall not be entered on the register until the end of the period of seven days following the day on which the appeal is finally determined or withdrawn.

[F5(6)Section 114 of the 1995 Act (delegation or reference to appeals etc) applies to any appeal brought under subsection (5).

(6A)If either party to the appeal so requests, or the Secretary of State or Welsh Ministers so decide, an appeal shall be or continue in the form of a hearing (which must be held in private).

(6B)The Secretary of State may by regulations make provision as to appeals under subsection (5) to the Secretary of State, and the Welsh Ministers may by regulations make provision as to appeals under that subsection to them; and the regulations may, in particular, may make provision as to—

(a)the period within which and the manner in which appeals are to be brought; and

(b)the manner in which appeals are to be considered.]

(7)The Secretary of State may give to the [F2appropriate agency] directions as to specified information, or descriptions of information, which the public interest requires to be included in registers kept or maintained by the [F2appropriate agency] under any provision of this Act notwithstanding that the information may be commercially confidential.

(8)Information excluded from a register shall be treated as ceasing to be commercially confidential for the purposes of this section at the expiry of the period of four years beginning with the date of the determination by virtue of which it was excluded; but the person who furnished it may apply to the [F2appropriate agency] for the information to remain excluded from the register on the ground that it is still commercially confidential and the [F2appropriate agency] shall determine whether or not that is the case.

(9)Subsections (5) and (6) above shall apply in relation to a determination under subsection (8) above as they apply in relation to a determination under subsection (2) or (4) above.

(10)The Secretary of State may by regulations substitute (whether in all cases or in such classes or descriptions of case as may be specified in the regulations) for the period for the time being specified in subsection (3) above such other period as he considers appropriate.

(11)Information is, for the purposes of any determination under this section, commercially confidential, in relation to any individual or person, if its being contained in the register would prejudice to an unreasonable degree the commercial interests of that individual or person.

F6(12). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .]

Textual Amendments

F1S. 191B inserted (21.11.1996 for certain purposes and 31.12.1996 otherwise) by 1995 c. 25, s. 120(1), Sch. 22 para. 170 (with ss. 7(6), 115, 117); S.I. 1996/2909, arts. 2, 3 (subject to saving provisions in art. 4)

Modifications etc. (not altering text)

C1S. 191B applied (with modifications) (1.4.1999) by S.I. 1998/2746, reg. 14(3)

C2S. 191B(5): power to delegate functions conferred (1.4.1996) by 1995 c. 25, s. 114(2)(a)(v) (with ss. 7(6), 115, 117); S.I. 1996/186, art. 3 (with art. 4)