Part III Rights and Obligations in connection with Coal Mining

Areas of responsibility

37 Areas of responsibility.

1

A licence under Part II of this Act may designate, in relation to the person who is the holder of the licence, the area which is to be treated for the purposes of this Part as that person’s area of responsibility.

2

The area designated under this section may comprise—

a

the whole or any one or more parts of the area where the operations to which the licence relates are to be carried on; or

b

the whole or any parts of that area together with such other areas appearing to the Authority to be capable of being affected by those operations as may be described in the licence.

3

Subject to subsection (4) below, an area designated under this section as an area of responsibility shall continue to be treated for the purposes of this Part as the area of responsibility of the holder of the licence in question until such time as may be determined, in accordance with the provisions of the licence, to be the time for responsibilities in respect of the designated area to revert (subject to any further designation of the whole or any part of that area) to the Authority.

4

The conditions included in a licence under Part II of this Act may provide for the modification from time to time of the area of responsibility of the holder of the licence.

5

For the purposes of subsection (3) above it shall be immaterial that the authorisation contained in the licence in question is revoked or otherwise ceases to have effect before the time determined for the purposes of that subsection.