Petroleum Act 1998

4 Licences: further provisions. U.K.

(1) The Secretary of State shall make regulations prescribing—

(a) the manner in which and the persons by whom applications for licences under this Part of this Act may be made;

(b) the information to be included in or provided in connection with any such application;

(c) the fees to be paid on any such application;

(d) the conditions as to the size and shape of areas in respect of which licences may be granted;

(e) model clauses which shall, unless he thinks fit to modify or exclude them in any particular case, be incorporated in any such licence.

(2) Different regulations may be made for different kinds of licence.

(3) Any such regulations shall be made by statutory instrument which shall be subject to annulment in pursuance of a resolution of either House of Parliament.

(4) As soon as practicable after granting a licence under section 3, the Secretary of State shall publish notice of the fact in the London Gazette stating—

(a) the name of the licensee; and

(b) the situation of the area in respect of which the licence has been granted,

and, if that area or any part of it is in Scotland, the Secretary of State shall also publish the notice in the Edinburgh Gazette.

(5) Any information which the Commissioners of Inland Revenue possess in connection with petroleum won by virtue of a licence granted under section 3—

(a) may be disclosed by the Commissioners to the Secretary of State, or to an officer of his who is authorised by him to receive such information, in connection with provisions of the licence relating to royalty payments; but

(b) shall not be disclosed by a person to whom it is disclosed under paragraph (a) except—

(i) as authorised by the licence;

(ii) to a person to whom it could have been disclosed under paragraph (a); or

(iii) for the purposes of proceedings (which may be arbitration proceedings) in connection with the licence.