Part IXE+W+S Miscellaneous and General

Charges by certain authoritiesE+W+S

150 Power to allow charges.E+W+S

(1)The Secretary of State may make regulations providing that a charge may be imposed in respect of anything—

(a)which is done by any relevant authority or by any relevant authority of a prescribed description,

(b)which is prescribed or falls within a prescribed description,

(c)in respect of which there is no power or duty to impose a charge apart from the regulations, and

(d)which is not done in the course of exercising an excepted function.

(2)The regulations may include such provision as the Secretary of State sees fit as regards charges for which the regulations provide; and nothing in subsections (3) to (5) below or section 190(1) below is to prejudice this.

(3)The regulations—

(a)may be made as regards services rendered, documents issued, or any other thing done by an authority (whether in pursuance of a power or a duty);

(b)may provide that the amount of a charge (if imposed) is to be at the authority’s discretion or to be at its discretion subject to a maximum.

(4)Where the regulations provide that a charge may not exceed a maximum amount they may—

(a)provide for one amount, or a scale of amounts to cover different prescribed cases;

(b)prescribe, as regards any amount, a sum or a method of calculating the amount.

(5)The regulations may include such supplementary, incidental, consequential or transitional provisions as appear to the Secretary of State to be necessary or expedient.

(6)No regulations may be made under this section unless a draft of them has been laid before and approved by a resolution of each House of Parliament.