17.—(1) Where a society has been registered in the register of housing associations, that society shall not be removed from the register except by the Department in accordance with the provisions of this Article.
(2) If it appears to the Department that any society which is registered—
(a)is no longer a housing association falling within Article 15(1), or
(b)has ceased to exist or does not operate,
the Department shall, on giving not less than 14 days' notice to that society, remove it from the register; and in a case where sub-paragraph (b) applies, any such notice shall be deemed to be given to a society if it is served at the address last known to the Department to be the principal place of business of that society.
(3) Where a society which is registered—
(a)has not at any time received—
(i)a loan under Article 6 or a grant under Article 33 or 34,
(ii)a loan under Article 117 of the Order of 1981 or a grant under Article 137 or 139 of that Order,
(iii)any such payment or loan as is specified in paragraph 2 or 3 of Schedule 2, or
(iv)a loan under Article 6 of the Housing (Northern Ireland) Order 1976F1, or a grant under Article 27 or 29 of that Order; and
(b)requests the Department to remove it from the register;
the Department may, if it thinks fit, remove that society from the register.
(4) A society which is aggrieved by a decision of the Department to remove it from the register of housing associations may appeal against the decision to the High Court.
(5) If an appeal is brought under paragraph (4) and is not withdrawn the Department shall not remove the society concerned from the register of housing associations until the appeal has been finally determined.
(6) No sum shall be paid in respect of a grant under Article 33 or 34 to a society which has been removed under this Article from the register of housing associations.
(7) Where, at the time of its removal under paragraph (2) from the register of housing associations, a society owns land, Article 13 shall continue to apply to that land after the removal as if the society concerned continued to be a registered housing association.