Water (Northern Ireland) Order 1998

Power to make scheme of charges

11.—(1) Where—

(a) an application is made to the Department for a discharge consent, or a variation of such a consent;

(b) the Department gives a discharge consent otherwise than in a case where an application for such a consent was made under paragraph 1 of Schedule 1; or

(c) a discharge consent is for the time being in force,

the Department may require the payment to it of such charges as may be specified in or determined under a scheme made by it under this Article.

(2) The persons who shall be liable to pay charges which are required to be paid by virtue of a scheme under this Article shall be—

(a) in the case of a charge by virtue of paragraph (1)(a), the person who makes the application;

(b) in the case of a charge by virtue of paragraph (1)(b), any person who is authorised to do anything by virtue of the consent and on whom the instrument giving the consent is served; and

(c) in the case of a charge by virtue of paragraph (1)(c), any person who makes a discharge in pursuance of the consent at any time during the period to which, in accordance with the scheme, the charge relates.

(3) Provision made by a scheme for the purposes of paragraph (1)(c) may impose a single charge in respect of the whole period for which the consent is in force or separate charges in respect of different parts of that period or both such a single charge and such separate charges.

(4) A scheme under this Article may—

(a) make provision with respect to the times and methods of payment of the charges which are required to be paid by virtue of the scheme; and

(b) contain supplemental, consequential and transitional provision for the purposes of the scheme.

(5) The Department, in framing a scheme under this Article, shall, so far as practicable, secure that the fees and charges payable under the scheme are sufficient, taking one financial year with another, to cover the expenditure incurred by the Department in exercising its functions under this Part in relation to discharge consents.

(6) Where the Department proposes to make a scheme under this Article the Department shall—

(a) give notice setting out its proposals and specifying the period within which representations with respect to the proposals may be made; and

(b) consider any representations which are duly made and not withdrawn;

and, if the Department decides, after considering any such representations to make a scheme under this Article, the Department may do so either in accordance with the proposals contained in the notice or in accordance with those proposals as modified in such manner as the Department considers appropriate.

(7) A notice under paragraph (6) shall be given by publishing the notice in such manner as the Department considers appropriate for bringing it to the attention of persons likely to be affected by it.

(8) The Department shall take such steps as it considers appropriate for bringing the provisions of any scheme made under this Article which is for the time being in operation to the attention of persons likely to be affected by them.

(9) If it appears to the Department that the holder of a discharge consent has failed to pay a charge payable by virtue of paragraph (1)(c), it may, by notice served on the holder, revoke the consent.