[F1ExceptionsN.I.
7A—(1) A person shall not be guilty of an offence under Article 7(2) or (6) by reason of any discharge of trade or sewage effluent from a vessel.
(2) A person shall not be guilty of an offence under Article 7(1), (2) or (6) in respect of the discharge or deposit of any effluent or other matter if—
(a)the discharge or deposit is made in an emergency in order to avoid danger to life or health;
(b)that person takes all such steps as are reasonably practicable in the circumstances for minimising the extent of the discharge or deposit and of its polluting effects; and
(c)particulars of the discharge or deposit are furnished to the Department as soon as reasonably practicable after it occurs.
(3) A person shall not be guilty of an offence under Article 7(1) or (2) or (6) in respect of the discharge or deposit of any effluent or other matter if the discharge or deposit is made under and in accordance with, or as a result of any act or omission under and in accordance with—
(a)a consent given by the Department under this Article;
(b)a disposal licence under Article 7 of the Pollution Control and Local Government (Northern Ireland) Order 1978;
(c)a licence granted under Part II of the Food and Environment Protection Act 1985;
(d)an authorisation granted under the Industrial Pollution Control (Northern Ireland) Order 1997;
(e)a waste management licence granted under the Waste and Contaminated Land (Northern Ireland) Order 1997;
(f)a permit granted under regulations under Article 4 of the Environment (Northern Ireland) Order 2002;
(g)Article 226 of the Water and Sewerage Services (Northern Ireland) Order 2006;
(h)any statutory order which expressly confers power to discharge effluent into water;
(i)any prescribed statutory provision.
(4) Schedule 1 shall have effect, subject to Article 13, with respect to the making of applications for consents under paragraph (3)(a) (“discharge consents”) and with respect to the giving, revocation, transfer and modification of such consents.
(5) Nothing in any disposal licence shall be treated for the purposes of paragraph (3) as authorising—
(a)any discharge as is mentioned in Article 7(2); or
(b)any act or omission so far as it results in any such discharge.
(6) In paragraph (3)(h) “statutory order” means—
(a)an order under Article 138(1)(c) or 228 of the Water and Sewerage Services (Northern Ireland) Order 2006;
(b)an order under Article 23(2);
(c)any other order or scheme made under a statutory provision.
(7) A person shall not be guilty of an offence under Article 7(1), (2) or (6) if he discharges any effluent or other matter into a drain mentioned in paragraph (8) so that it enters a waterway or water contained in underground strata, if the Department for Regional Development has given its consent to the discharge (either unconditionally or subject to conditions which were observed).
(8) The drains referred to in paragraph (7) are —
(a)a road drain within the meaning of Article 45 of the Roads (Northern Ireland) Order 1993; or
(b)a drain constructed and laid by the Department for Regional Development under Article 45(1)(b) of that Order.]
F1Arts. 7-7B substituted (1.1.2007 for certain purposes, 1.4.2007 for certain purposes, 4.5.2007 for certain purposes, otherwise 25.5.2007) for art. 7 by Water and Sewerage Services (Northern Ireland) Order 2006 (S.I. 2006/3336 (N.I. 21)), arts. 1(2)(3)(e), 280 (with arts. 8(8), 121(3), 307); S.R. 2007/194, art. 2(2), Sch. 1 Pt. II (with art. 3, Sch. 2); S.R. 2007/282, art. 2, Sch.