43.—(1) The Department may, with the consent of a licence holder, make a scheme for the transfer to the licence holder of such assets and liabilities of a former gas undertaker as are specified in the scheme.
(2) In this Article—
“former gas undertaker” has the same meaning as in Article 42;
“transferred assets” means the assets transferred under this Article;
“transfer scheme” means a scheme under paragraph (1);
“transfer date”, in relation to any transfer of assets or liabilities under this Article, means the date specified in the transfer scheme as the date on which the transfer is to take effect;
and any reference to assets and liabilities of a former gas undertaker is a reference to assets and liabilities—
(i)to which the former gas undertaker is entitled or subject immediately before the transfer date, whether or not capable of being transferred or assigned by it; and
(ii)which subsist, either wholly or mainly, for the purposes of, or in connection with, or are otherwise attributable to, the functions exercised by the former gas undertaker in its capacity as such.
(3) Assets and liabilities transferred to a licence holder by a transfer scheme shall on the transfer date become assets and liabilities of the licence holder by virtue of this paragraph; and a certificate issued by the Department that any asset or liability specified in the certificate is by virtue of this paragraph vested in the licence holder shall be conclusive evidence for all purposes of that fact.
(4) A transfer scheme—
(a)may specify the assets and liabilities to be transferred by describing or identifying them in such manner as the Department considers appropriate;
(b)shall specify in relation to transferred assets the relevant period (being a period beginning on the transfer date) for the purposes of paragraph (5);
(c)may provide for the payment by the licence holder to the Department in respect of the transfer of such sum or sums at such time or times as may be specified in, or determined by the Department in accordance with, the scheme;
(d)may provide for the determination of any sum or sums payable to the Department under sub-paragraph (c) or paragraph (8);
(e)may provide for the issue to the Department of securities of the licence holder for purposes connected with the scheme or its implementation;
(f)may contain such supplementary, incidental and consequential provisions as the Department considers appropriate.
(5) A person (whether a licence holder or a successor in title) in whom any transferred assets are vested at any time during the relevant period specified under paragraph (4)(b) in relation to those assets shall not dispose of those assets before the end of that period without the consent of the Department; and any purported disposal by such a person of any such assets before the end of that period shall be void.
(6) Paragraph (4) of Article 42 applies for the purposes of paragraph (5) as it applies for the purposes of paragraph (1) of that Article.
(7) Paragraph (5) applies to assets which replace, extend or incorporate transferred assets as it applies to transferred assets; and a certificate issued by the Department that any assets do or do not fall within this paragraph shall be conclusive evidence for all purposes of this Article.
(8) A consent under paragraph (5) may be granted subject to such conditions as the Department considers appropriate, including conditions requiring the payment to the Department of such sum or sums at such time or times as may be determined by the Department in accordance with the scheme.
(9) Any sum payable to the Department under paragraph (4)(c) or (8) may be recovered by the Department in a court of competent jurisdiction as a civil debt due to it.
(10) Stamp duty shall not be chargeable on a transfer scheme or any transfer effected under this Article.