Wages Councils Act 1979

Power to extend wages councils legislation

27 Extension of this Act and N.I. legislation

(1) Her Majesty may by Order in Council provide that—

(a) the provisions of this Act, and

(b) the provisions of any legislation (that is to say any enactment of the Parliament of Northern Ireland and any provision made by or under a Measure of the Northern Ireland Assembly) for the time being in force in Northern Ireland which makes provision for purposes corresponding to any of the purposes of the provisions of this Act,

shall, to such extent and for such purposes as may be specified in the Order, apply (with or without modification) to or in relation to any person in employment to which this section applies.

(2) This section applies to employment for the purposes of any activities—

(a) in the territorial waters of the United Kingdom; or

(b) connected with the exploration of the sea bed or subsoil or the exploitation of their natural resources in any designated area; or

(c) connected with the exploration or exploitation, in a foreign sector of the continental shelf, of a cross-boundary petroleum field.

(3) An Order in Council under subsection (1) above—

(a) may make different provision for different cases;

(b) may provide that all or any of the provisions of any Act mentioned in that subsection, as applied by such an Order, shall apply to individuals whether or not they are British subjects and to bodies corporate whether or not they are incorporated under the law of any part of the United Kingdom (notwithstanding that the application may affect their activities outside the United Kingdom);

(c) may make provision for conferring jurisdiction on any court or class of court specified in the Order, or on industrial tribunals, in respect of offences, causes of action or other matters arising in connection with employment to which this section applies;

(d) without prejudice to the generality of subsection (1) above or of paragraph (a) above, may provide that the enactments referred to in that subsection shall apply in relation to any person in employment for the purposes of such activities as are referred to in subsection (2) above in any part of the areas specified in paragraphs (a) and (b) of that subsection;

(e) may exclude from the operation of section 3 of the [1878 c. 73.] Territorial Waters Jurisdiction Act 1878 (consents required for prosecutions) proceedings for offences under the enactments referred to in subsection (1) above in connection with employment to which this section applies;

(f) may provide that such proceedings shall not be brought without such consent as may be required by the Order.

(4) Any jurisdiction conferred on any court or tribunal under this section shall be without prejudice to jurisdiction exercisable apart from this section by that or any other court or tribunal.

(5) In this section—

• " cross-boundary petroleum field " means a petroleum field that extends across the boundary between a designated area and a foreign sector of the continental shelf;

• " designated area " means an area designated under section 1(7) of the [1964 c. 29.] Continental Shelf Act 1964 ;

• " foreign sector of the continental shelf " means an area which is outside the territorial waters of any State and within which rights are exercisable by a State other than the United Kingdom with respect to the sea bed and subsoil and their natural resources ;

• " petroleum field " means a geological structure identified as an oil or gas field by the Order in Council concerned.