F2PART IVGAME AND GAME DEALERS' LICENCES
Licences to kill or take game
27Game licence duty.
F3There shall be charged and paid on every licence issued under this Part to kill or take game (in this Part referred to as a “game licence”) an excise duty calculated as follows—
a
for a whole-year licence .................... £6
b
for a part-year licence taken out on or after the 1st November .................... £4
c
for a part-year licence taken out on or after the 1st August—
i
to expire on the 31st October in the same year .................... £4
ii
to cover a continuous period of not more than fourteen days as specified in the licence .................... £2
28Duration of game licence.
F41
A game licence issued under section 27( c)(ii) shall come into force and shall expire on the dates specified in the licence.
2
Save as provided in relation to licences issued under section 27( c), a game licence shall expire on 31st July next following the date on which it was issued.
3
If the holder of a game licence is convicted of an offence under section 30 of the Game Act 1831 [1831 c.32] , that licence shall, as from the date of such conviction, be void.
29Penalty for killing or taking game without a game licence.
F61
Save as provided by this section, any person who—
a
kills or takes any game; or
b
uses any dog, gun, net or engine for the killing or taking of game;
without having in force a game licence shall, in addition to any other offence he may thereby commit, be guilty of an offence under this section and shall be liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding £50.
2
This section shall not operate so as to require any member of the Royal Family to take out a game licence.
3
The following persons or any of them shall not, by reason only of being so engaged, be guilty of an offence under this section—
a
any person engaged in aiding or assisting in the killing or taking of game by the order and under the immediate direction of, and for the use only of, a person who has in force a game licence, where any dog, gun, net or other engine, then being lawfully used, belongs to the licence-holder;
b
any person engaged in the killing or taking of snipe or wild duck;
F5c
any occupier of any land, or any person authorised by him, engaged in the killing or taking of ground game on that land;
d
any person engaged in the killing or pursuing of hares by coursing with greyhounds or by hunting with beagles or other hounds;
e
any person engaged in the killing or pursuing of deer by hunting with hounds;
f
any owner or ocupier of any inclosed land, or any person acting by his direction or permission, engaged in the killing or taking of deer on such land.
30Power of inspection of game licences.
F71
Any authorised officer may require any person appearing to him to act in contravention of any of the provisions of this Part to produce his game licence for inspection.
2
If any such person fails or refuses to produce a proper licence and to permit the authorised officer to inspect it, the authorised officer shall require that person to give his name and address, and that person shall thereupon give his name and address to the authorised officer.
3
If any person contravenes any of the provisions of this section, he shall, in addition to any other offence he may thereby commit, be guilty of an offence under this section and shall be liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding £50.
4
An authorised officer may arrest any person who acts in contravention of any of the provisions of this section, and, if the authorised officer making the arrest is not a member of the Royal Ulster Constabulary, may deliver such person forthwith into the custody of a member of the Royal Ulster Constabulary to be dealt with according to law.
5
Where any person is found using on any land any dog, gun, net or other engine for the killing or taking of game, the owner or occupier of that land, or any person producing a game licence in force under this Part, may exercise, in relation to the person so found, the powers conferred by this section on an authorised officer.
31Authorised officers may enter on land.
F8An authorised officer may enter, and remain so long as may be necessary, on any land for the purpose of requiring the production of any game licence or of making any other demand referred to in section 30.
32Game licences taken out in Great Britain available in Northern Ireland.
F91
Subject to the provisions of this section, a game licence in force under the provisions of any of the enactments for the time being in force in Great Britain which correspond to the foregoing provisions of this Part shall, without further payment of duty, be available in Northern Ireland.
2
If the rates of duty chargeable respectively on game licences taken out in Northern Ireland are higher than the rates of duty chargeable respectively for game licences taken out in Great Britain, any such licence taken out in Great Britain shall not be available in Northern Ireland until the difference between the rate of duty payable in Great Britain and the rate of duty payable in Northern Ireland has been paid to the Ministry.
3
This section shall continue in operation so long only as the corresponding concession with respect to the availability in Great Britain of game licences taken out in Northern Ireland continues to have effect, and a declaration made by the Governor in Council that the corresponding concession has ceased or will cease to have effect as from a date specified in the declaration shall, for the purposes of this section, be conclusive evidence of the facts stated therein.
4
For the purposes of this Act, a game licence taken out in Great Britain and available in Northern Ireland shall be deemed to be a game licence issued under this Part.
Pt. IV (ss. 27-42) ceased to have effect (13.6.2011) by virtue of Wildlife and Natural Environment Act (Northern Ireland) 2011 (c. 15), ss. 35, 40(1); S.R. 2011/215, art. 2