27.—(1) It shall be the duty of the Director, so far as it appears to him practicable to do so—
(a)to keep under review the carrying on both in Northern Ireland and elsewhere of activities connected with the conveyance, storage and supply of gas; and
(b)to collect information with respect to those activities, and the persons by whom they are carried on, with a view to facilitating the exercise of his[F1 gas functions].
(2) The Department may [F2issue guidance] indicating—
(a)considerations to which the Director should have particular regard in determining the order of priority in which matters are to be brought under review in performing his duty under paragraph (1)(a) or (b); and
(b)considerations to which, in cases where it appears to the Director that any of his[F1 gas functions] are exercisable, he should have particular regard in determining whether to exercise those functions.
(3) It shall be the duty of the Director, where either he considers it expedient or he is requested by the Department or[F3 the Office of Fair Trading] to do so, to give information, advice and assistance to the Department or[F3 the Office of Fair Trading] with respect to any matter in respect of which any[F1 of the gas functions of the Authority or the Department] is exercisable.
[F1(3A) In this Article "gas functions" means—
(a)functions under this Part, and
(b)functions under the Energy (Northern Ireland) Order 2003 relating to gas.]
[F4(3B) The activities to which paragraph (1) applies include, in particular, the matters specified in the following provisions of the Directive as matters to be monitored—
(a)Article 26(3);
(b)Article 41(1)(g) to (k), (m), (n) and (r) to (t);
(c)where an independent system operator has been designated under Article 8H of this Order, Article 41(3)(a) and (b); and
(d)where a person has been certified on the basis of the third certification ground (independent transmission operator) in Article 8F and designated as a gas transmission operator under Article 8H of this Order, Article 41(5)(b) and (d); and
(e)Article 41(9).]
Para. (4) rep. by 2003 NI 6
F2Words in art. 27(2) substituted (15.4.2011) by Gas and Electricity (Internal Markets) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2011 (S.R. 2011/155), reg. 67