Subject to regulation 49 below, the Secretary of State may appoint a person as a United Kingdom competent body in accordance with the following provisions of this regulation.

An appointment under this regulation shall be in writing and shall, subject to regulations 50(5) and 51(3) below, be subject to such conditions as the Secretary of State may impose for the time being, and such conditions may include conditions which are to apply on or following the termination or expiry of the appointment.

Subject to regulation 49(2) below, an appointment under this regulation shall have effect in respect of such descriptions of relevant apparatus as the Secretary of State may for the time being authorise, and in this Part, “authorised” shall be construed accordingly.

In exercising the power conferred by paragraph (1) above, the Secretary of State may (in addition to the matters of which she is required to satisfy herself pursuant to regulation 49(2) below) have regard to any matter appearing to her to be relevant, and, without prejudice to the generality of the foregoing, she may have regard to any standards relating to the accreditation of laboratories or certification bodies appearing to her to be appropriate.

The Secretary of State shall from time to time publish lists of United Kingdom competent bodies indicating the descriptions of relevant apparatus in respect of which each body is authorised; and such lists may include information concerning any condition to which the appointment of any competent body is for the time being subject.