(1)It shall be the duty of the Director, so far as it appears to him practicable from time to time to do so—
(a)to keep under review the carrying on both in Great Britain and elsewhere of activities to which this subsection applies; 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 functions under this Part;
and this subsection applies to any activities connected with the generation, transmission and supply of electricity, including in particular activities connected with the supply to any premises of heat produced in association with electricity and steam produced from and air and water heated by such heat.
(2)The Secretary of State may give general directions 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 subsection (1)(a) or (b) above; and
(b)considerations to which, in cases where it appears to the Director that any of his functions under this Part 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 Secretary of State or the Director General of Fair Trading to do so, to give information, advice and assistance to the Secretary of State or that Director with respect to any matter in respect of which any function of the Director under this Part is exercisable.
(4)It shall be the duty of the Director to make such arrangements as he considers appropriate—
(a)for the provision of information by him to consumers' committees; or
(b)for facilitating the provision of information by consumers' committees to other such committees.