Confirmation of byelaws
31.—(1) Byelaws made by the Company under this Order shall not come into operation until they have been confirmed by the Scottish Ministers.
(2) At least one month before an application for confirmation of byelaws is made by the Company to the Scottish Ministers, notice of intention to apply for confirmation and of the place at which and times during which a copy of the byelaws shall be open to inspection shall be publicised as follows:–
(i)once in the Edinburgh Gazette;
(ii)once in each of two successive weeks in a newspaper circulating in the area in which the harbour is situated.
(b)not later than the first date on which the notice under sub paragraph (a) above is published, the Company shall send a copy of the notice to the Chief Executive Officer of the local authority within whose area the harbour is situated and to the Scottish Ministers;
(c)during a period of at least one month before the application is made for confirmation of the byelaws, a copy of the byelaws shall be kept at the office of the harbour master and shall at reasonable hours be open to public inspection without payment;
(d)the Company shall supply a copy of the byelaws or a part of the byelaws to a person who shall apply for it on payment of a reasonable charge.
(3) During the period of one month after completion of the publication of any notice required by subparagraph (2)(a) above, any person may make in writing to the Scottish Ministers any objection to or representation respecting the byelaws to which the notice relates.
(4) Subject to paragraph (5) below, the Scottish Ministers may confirm the byelaws in the form submitted to them with such modifications as they think fit or may refuse to confirm them.
(5) Where the Scottish Ministers propose to make a modification that appears to them to be substantial they shall inform the Company and require them to take any steps the Scottish Ministers consider necessary for informing persons likely to be concerned with the modification, and the Scottish Ministers shall not confirm the byelaws until such period has elapsed as the Scottish Ministers think reasonable for consideration of, and comment upon, the proposed modification by the Company and by other persons who have been informed of it.
(6) A copy of the byelaws when confirmed shall be printed and deposited at the office of the harbour master and shall at all reasonable hours be open to public inspection without payment, and a copy thereof shall on application be furnished to any person on payment of such reasonable sum as the Company may determined.