Interim permission
56.—(1) Unless paragraph (12) applies, on and after 1st April 2014, any relevant person (“P”) who, immediately before that date, held a standard licence under the 1974 Act(1) is to be treated as having an interim permission to carry on—
(a)if P’s licence covered the carrying on of an ancillary credit business in so far as it comprised or related to credit brokerage (within the meaning of the 1974 Act), the regulated activity specified in article 36A of the Regulated Activities Order (credit broking) and article 64 of that Order in so far as relevant to that activity;
(b)if—
(i)P’s licence covered the carrying on of an ancillary credit business in so far as it comprised or related to the activity of debt-administration (within the meaning of the 1974 Act),
(ii)immediately before 1st April 2014, P carried on an activity which, if carried on after that date would be an activity of the kind specified by article 36H of the Regulated Activities Order (operating an electronic system in relation to lending), and
(iii)immediately before 1st April 2014, P did not also carry on an activity which, if carried on after that date, would be an activity of the kind specified by article 39G of that Order (debt administration),
the regulated activity specified in article 36H of the Regulated Activities Order and article 64 of that Order in so far as relevant to that activity;
(c)if—
(i)P’s licence covered the carrying on of an ancillary credit business in so far as it comprised or related to the activity of debt-administration (within the meaning of the 1974 Act),
(ii)immediately before 1st April 2014, P carried on an activity which, if carried on after that date would be an activity of the kind specified by article 36H of the Regulated Activities Order (operating an electronic system in relation to lending), and
(iii)immediately before that date, P also carried on an activity which, if carried on after that date, would be an activity of the kind specified by article 39G of that Order (debt administration),
the regulated activities specified in articles 36H and 39G of the Regulated Activities Order and article 64 of that Order in so far as relevant to those activities;
(d)to the extent that P’s licence covers any other activities, those regulated activities which are activities which were described in the licence and article 64 of that Order in so far as relevant to those activities.
(2) On and after 1st April 2014, any relevant person (“P”) who, immediately before that date—
(a)held a standard licence under the 1974 Act,
(b)was a credit intermediary (within the meaning given by section 160A of the 1974 Act(2)), but
(c)did not carry on an activity which, if carried on after 1st April 2014, would be an activity of the kind specified by article 36H of the Regulated Activities Order,
is to be treated as having an interim permission to carry on regulated activities of the kind specified by articles 36A(1)(d) to (f) of the Regulated Activities Order to the extent that P was carrying on such activities immediately before 1st April 2014 and article 64 of that Order in so far as relevant to that activity; and such interim permission may be in addition to any interim permission the person obtains by virtue of paragraph (1).
(3) On and after 1st April 2014, any relevant person (“P”) who is a local authority is to be treated as having an interim permission to carry on regulated activities which are activities which P was carrying on at any point in the period of one year ending on that date.
(4) For the purposes of paragraphs (1), (2) and (3), P is a “relevant person” if P has, in the period beginning with 2nd September 2013 and ending on 31st March 2014 (including both days), notified the FCA of P’s desire to obtain interim permission under this article and paid any fee which is provided for in rules made by the FCA for this purpose.
(5) On and after the notice date (see paragraph (7)), a relevant recent licensee (“P”) is to be treated as having an interim permission to carry on—
(a)if P’s licence covered the carrying on of an ancillary credit business in so far as it comprised or related to credit brokerage (within the meaning of the 1974 Act), the regulated activity specified in article 36A of the Regulated Activities Order (credit broking) and article 64 of that Order in so far as relevant to that activity;
(b)if—
(i)P’s licence covered the carrying on of an ancillary credit business in so far as it comprised or related to the activity of debt-administration (within the meaning of the 1974 Act),
(ii)immediately before 1st April 2014 P carried on an activity which, if carried on after that date would be an activity of the kind specified by article 36H of the Regulated Activities Order (operating an electronic system in relation to lending), and
(iii)immediately before that date, P did not also carry on an activity which, if carried on after that date, would be an activity of the kind specified by article 39G of that Order (debt administration),
the regulated activity specified in article 36H of the Regulated Activities Order and article 64 of that Order in so far as relevant to that activity;
(c)if—
(i)P’s licence covered the carrying on of an ancillary credit business in so far as it comprised or related to the activity of debt-administration (within the meaning of the 1974 Act),
(ii)immediately before 1st April 2014, P carried on an activity which, if carried on after that date would be an activity of the kind specified by article 36H of the Regulated Activities Order (operating an electronic system in relation to lending), and
(iii)immediately before that date, P also carries on an activity which, if carried on after that date, would be an activity of the kind specified by article 39G of that Order (debt administration),
the regulated activities specified in articles 36H and 39G of the Regulated Activities Order and article 64 of that Order in so far as relevant to those activities;
(d)to the extent that P’s licence covers any other activities, those regulated activities which are activities which were described in the licence and article 64 of that Order in so far as relevant to those activities.
(6) Unless paragraph (12) applies, on and after the notice date, any relevant recent licensee (“P”) who, immediately before 1st April 2014—
(a)held a standard licence under the 1974 Act,
(b)was a credit intermediary (within the meaning given by section 160A of the 1974 Act(3)), but
(c)did not carry on an activity which, if carried on after 1st April 2014, would be an activity of the kind specified by article 36H of the Regulated Activities Order,
is to be treated as having an interim permission to carry on regulated activities of the kind specified by articles 36A(1)(d) to (f) of the Regulated Activities Order and article 64 of that Order in so far as relevant to that activity, to the extent that P was carrying on such activities immediately before 1st April 2014; and such interim permission may be in addition to any interim permission the person obtains by virtue of paragraph (5).
(7) For the purposes of paragraphs (5) and (6), P is a “relevant recent licensee” if—
(a)P had been given a standard licence under the 1974 Act in the period beginning 18th March 2014 and ending on 31st March 2014 (including both days), and
(b)on a date in the period beginning on 1st April 2014 and ending on 14th April 2014 (including both days) (“the notice date”) P notified the FCA of P’s desire to obtain interim permission under this article and has in that period paid any fee which is provided for in rules made by the FCA for this purpose.
(8) Interim permission which a person (“A”) is treated as having under this article does not permit A to canvass off trade premises borrower-lender-supplier agreements (within the meaning given by article 60L of the Regulated Activities Order) or regulated consumer hire agreements (within the meaning of article 60N of that Order) except to the extent that A’s licence under the 1974 Act, immediately before 1st April 2014, specifically provided that A’s licence covered that activity; and the reference to canvassing off trade premises is to be read with article 36B of that Order.
(9) Subject to article 61 (application of Act), an interim permission is to be treated as—
(a)if P was an authorised person immediately before commencement, a variation of permission,
(b)in any other case, a Part 4A permission.
(10) If P was, immediately before 1st April 2014, subject to a requirement imposed by the OFT under section 33A of the 1974 Act (power of OFT to impose requirements on licensees)(4) and P obtains interim permission under this article, that requirement is to be treated as a requirement imposed by the FCA under section 55L of the Act (subject to any necessary modifications).
(11) For the purpose of paragraphs (1) and (5), it is the effect of the licence that matters, not how the activities for which a licence is given are described.
(12) This paragraph applies if—
(a)P has, before 1st April 2014, notified the FCA that P does not wish to obtain interim permission under this article, or
(b)the FCA has, before 1st April 2014, notified P in writing, that in the FCA’s opinion, P is not carrying on the activities which are described in P’s licence.
“Standard licence” is defined in section 189 of the 1974 Act. By virtue of section 32A(5) of that Act, a licensee under a suspended licence is to be treated, in respect of the period of suspension, as if the licence had not been issued.
Inserted by S.I. 2010/1010.
Inserted by S.I. 2010/1010.
Inserted by the Consumer Credit Act 2006, section 38.