Electricity Act 1947

2 Additional functions of Electricity Boards.

(1) It shall be the duty of the Central Authority and of any Area Board, in so far as they may be requested by the Central Authority to do so, to conduct research into matters affecting the supply of electricity, and the Central Authority and, in so far as they may be so requested, any Area Board may assist other persons conducting such research.

(2) It shall be the duty of the Central Authority and every Area Board, in consultation with any organisation appearing to them to be appropriate, to make provision for advancing the skill of persons employed by them and for improving the efficiency of their equipment and the manner in which that equipment is to be used, including provision by them and the assistance of the provision by others of facilities for training and education.

(3) The Central Authority shall have power—

(a) to manufacture electrical plant and electrical fittings;

(b) to sell, hire or otherwise supply electrical plant and electrical fittings and to instal, repair, maintain or remove any electrical plant and electrical fittings; and

(c) to carry on all such other activities as it may appear to the Authority to be requisite, advantageous, or convenient for them to carry on for or in connection with the performance of their duties under the foregoing section or with a view to making the best use of any assets vested in them by or under this Act:

Provided that this subsection shall not empower the Central Authority to manufacture electrical plant or electrical fittings for export.

(4) Any Area Board shall have power—

(a) to sell, hire or otherwise supply electrical fittings and to instal, repair, maintain or remove any electrical fittings; and

(b) to carry on all such other activities as it may appear to the Board to be requisite, advantageous or convenient for them to carry on for or in connection with the exercise and performance of their functions under the foregoing section or with a view to making the best use of any assets vested in them by or under this Act:

Provided that nothing in this subsection shall empower an Area Board to exercise or perform any of the functions referred to in paragraph (a) of the last foregoing subsection or paragraph (b) of the last foregoing subsection so far as it relates to the sale, hire or supply of electrical plant.

(5) The Central Authority and any Area Board shall have power to do any thing and to enter into any transaction (whether or not involving the expenditure, the borrowing in accordance with the provisions of this Act or the lending of money, the acquisition of any property or rights or the disposal of any property or rights not in their opinion required for the proper exercise or performance of their functions) which in their opinion is calculated to facilitate the proper performance of their duties under the foregoing section or the exercise or performance of any of their functions under the foregoing provisions of this section, or is incidental or conducive thereto, but nothing in this subsection shall be taken as empowering an Area Board to exercise or perform any functions specifically excluded from the last foregoing subsection.

(6) Subject to the approval of the Minister, the Central Authority may authorise any Area Board to exercise or perform on behalf of the Central Authority any of the functions of that Authority which are to be exercised or performed wholly or mainly in the area of the Area Board (not including any functions specifically excluded from subsection (4) of this section) and any such authorisation may be subject to conditions and limitations and may be so framed as to empower the Area Board to exercise or perform any of the functions delegated to them through agents.

(7) Any Electricity Board may, by agreement with any other Electricity Board, use for the purposes of any of their functions any works, plant or other property of that other Board, and, if it appears to the Minister that such use cannot be obtained by agreement and is required for the purpose of securing efficient and economical services, he may by order authorise such use on such terms and conditions (including the payment of money) as he may determine.

(8) Subsections (1), (2), (3) and (5) of this section shall, subject to the provisions of the Act of 1943, apply to the North of Scotland Board in like manner as they apply to the Central Authority, subject to the following modifications:—

(a) for the reference in subsection (5) to borrowing in accordance with the provisions of this Act there shall be substituted a reference to borrowing in accordance with the Act of 1943; and

(b) other references to this Act and references to the foregoing section shall include references to the Act of 1943;

and any order under the last foregoing subsection affecting the North of Scotland Board shall be made by the Minister and the Secretary of State jointly.

(9) For the avoidance of doubt it is hereby declared that the foregoing provisions of this Act relate only to the capacity of Electricity Boards as statutory corporations, and nothing in those provisions shall be construed as authorising the disregard by any such Board of any enactment or rule of law.