Electricity Act 1957

Provisions as to administration, and as to conditions of employment

8 Powers of Minister in relation to Electricity Council and Electricity Boards

(1) The Minister may give to the Electricity Council, or to any of the Electricity Boards in England and Wales, such directions of a general character as to the performance by that Council or Board of their functions as appear to the Minister to be requisite in the national interest.

(2) Before giving any directions to the Electricity Council under the preceding subsection the Minister shall consult the Council; and before giving any directions to an Electricity Board under that subsection, the Minister shall consult that Board and the Electricity Council.

(3) The Minister may, after consultation with the Electricity Council, give directions to any of the Electricity Boards in England and Wales as to the use or disposal of any assets vested in the Board which are not connected with the generation, transmission or distribution of electricity.

(4) In carrying out such measures of reorganisation or such works of development as involve substantial outlay on capital account, each of the Electricity Boards in England and Wales shall act in accordance with a general programme settled by the Board from time to time after consultation with the Electricity Council and approved by the Minister.

(5) The Electricity Council shall furnish the Minister with such returns, accounts and other information as he may require with respect to the property and activities of the Council and of Electricity Boards in England and Wales, and shall afford to him facilities for verifying such information, in such manner and at such times as he may reasonably require.

(6) Each of the Electricity Boards in England and Wales shall afford to the Electricity Council, and, if the Minister so requires, to the Minister, facilities for obtaining information with respect to the property and activities of the Board, and shall furnish the Electricity Council, and, if he so requires, the Minister, with returns, accounts and other information with respect thereto, and shall afford to the Electricity Council and the Minister facilities for verifying such information, in such manner and at such times as the Council or the Minister may reasonably require.

9 Representations by Electricity Boards to Electricity Council

(1) Any of the Electricity Boards in England and Wales may make representations to the Electricity Council on any matter relating to the performance of the functions of any other of those Boards;

Provided that an Electricity Board, before making any representations under this subsection with respect to any matter relating to the functions of another Electricity Board, shall consult that Board with respect to that matter.

(2) Where any representations are made to the Electricity Council under the preceding subsection, and, after consultation with the Board making the representations and with the Board to whom the representations relate, it appears to the Council that a defect is disclosed in the general plans and arrangements of either or both of those Boards for the performance of their functions, the Electricity Council may give to that Board or those Boards such advice as they think fit for remedying the defect.

(3) The Electricity Council may make representations to the Minister on any matters arising out of advice given by them to an Electricity Board under this section; and if it appears to the Minister, after consultation with that Board and with the Electricity Council, that a defect is disclosed in that Board's general plans and arrangements for the performance of their functions, he may give such directions to that Board as he thinks necessary for remedying the defect.

10 Annual reports

(1) Every Area Board and the Generating Board shall, as soon as possible after the end of each financial year, make to the Minister a report on the performance by them of their functions during that year and on their policy and programmes; and every Area Board and the Generating Board shall, as soon as their report has been made to the Minister, send a copy thereof to the Electricity Council.

(2) As soon as possible after copies of the reports of the Generating Board and all the Area Boards for any financial year have been received by the Electricity Council, the Council shall make to the Minister a report consisting of—

(a) a report on the performance by the Council of their functions during that year, and on the policy and programmes of the Council, and

(b) a general review of the activities and progress during that year of the electricity supply industry in England and Wales, taking that industry as a whole.

(3) Every report made under this section by an Area Board, the Generating Board or the Electricity Council for any year shall set out any directions given by the Minister to the Board or Council during that year, except any direction in the case of which the Minister has notified to the Board or Council his opinion that it should be omitted in the interests of national security.

(4) The Minister may give directions as to the form of the reports to be made under the preceding provisions of this section.

(5) A Consultative Council for the area of any Area Board may, in respect of any financial year of the Board, make to the Board a report on the performance by the Council of their functions during that year; and any such report shall be made to the Board as soon as possible after the end of the financial year in question, and the Board shall include that report in the report made by them under this section.

(6) The Minister shall lay before each House of Parliament a copy of the report made for each financial year by each Area Board, the Generating Board and the Electricity Council, and shall at the same time lay before each House of Parliament a report with respect to the performance of his functions during that year under the principal Act and this Act and the Electricity (Supply) Acts, 1882 to 1936, except as regards matters which in his opinion it is against the interests of national security to disclose.

11 Consolidated statements of accounts

(1) In addition to the statements of accounts required by section forty-six of the principal Act, the Electricity Council shall prepare, in respect of each financial year beginning on or after the vesting date, a consolidated statement of accounts of the Council, the Generating Board and the Area Boards for that year in such form as the Minister, with the approval of the Treasury, may direct, being a form which shall conform with the best commercial standards.

(2) The form of a consolidated statement under this section shall be such as to provide separate information with respect to the generation of electricity, the distribution of electricity, and each of the other main activities of the electricity supply industry in England and Wales, and to show as far as may be the financial and operating results of each such activity,

(3) The consolidated statement prepared under this section for a financial year shall be submitted to the auditors appointed by the Minister to audit the accounts of the Electricity Council for that year, and those auditors shall make a report on the statement.

(4) As soon as the auditors have made a report on a consolidated statement prepared under this section, the Electricity Council shall send a copy of the statement and of that report to the Minister; and copies of the statement and report shall be made available to the public at a reasonable price.

(5) The Minister shall lay before each House of Parliament a copy of every statement prepared under this section and of the report of the auditors thereon.

12 Machinery for settling terms and conditions of employment

(1) Except in so far as they are satisfied that adequate machinery exists for achieving the purposes of this section, it shall be the duty of the Electricity Council and the Scottish Electricity Boards to seek joint consultations with any organisation appearing to them to be appropriate, with a view to the conclusion between the Council, those Boards and that organisation of such joint agreements as appear to the parties to be desirable with respect to the establishment and maintenance of machinery for—

(a) the settlement by negotiation of terms and conditions of employment of persons employed by the Electricity Council or by Electricity Boards, with provision for reference to arbitration in default of such settlement in such cases as may be determined by or under the agreements ; and

(b) the promotion, improvement and encouragement of measures affecting the safety, health, welfare, education and training of persons employed by the Electricity Council or by Electricity Boards, and the discussion of other matters of mutual interest to that Council or those Boards and persons so employed, including efficiency in the operation of the services of the Council or the Boards.

(2) Before entering into any agreement in pursuance of the preceding subsection, the Electricity Council shall consult the Generating Board and each of the Area Boards.

(3) It shall be the duty of the Generating Board and of each of the Area Boards to comply with any agreement concluded in pursuance of subsection (1) of this section.

(4) In so far as the Generating Board or any Area Board are required by subsection (2) of section two of the principal Act to consult with any organisation appearing to them to be appropriate with respect to the performance of their duty under that subsection to provide, or assist the provision of, facilities for training and education, the Board, in determining what organisation is appropriate, shall have regard to any machinery established for the purposes of paragraph (b) of subsection (1) of this section.

(5) The Electricity Council and each of the Scottish Electricity Boards shall send to the Minister, the Secretary of State and the Minister of Labour and National Service a copy of any agreement concluded for the purposes of this section to which the Council or that Board, as the case may be, are a party.