Atomic Energy Authority (Weapons Group) Act 1973

9 Interpretation and supplementary provisions. U.K.

(1) In this Act “the appointed day” means the day appointed by the Secretary of State for the purposes of section 1(1).

(2) For the purposes of this Act—

(a) property, rights, liabilities and obligations of the Authority shall be taken at any time to be property, rights, liabilities and obligations appertaining to the Weapons Group; and

(b) person shall be taken at any time to be employees of the Authority engaged in that Group,

if at that time they are property held, rights acquired, liabilities or obligations incurred or persons employed by the Authority (as the case may be) wholly or mainly for the purposes of, or in the course of carrying on, that part of the Authority’s undertaking known as the Weapons Group (as distinct from the Authority’s undertaking in general or any other part of that undertaking in particular); and the question whether at a particular time property of the Authority was held for the purposes of the Weapons Group, or in the course of carrying on any activities of the Group, shall be determined (in case of doubt) by reference to the Authority’s books, and entries in those books with respect to any property shall be conclusive as to how it was held at the time in question, regardless of who at that time had custody of it.

(3) For the avoidance of doubt it is hereby declared that—

(a) any reference in this Act to property of the Authority is a reference to property whether situated in the United Kingdom or elsewhere, and

(b) any reference in this Act to rights, liabilities or obligations of the Authority is a reference to rights to which the Authority is entitled or (as the case may be ) liabilities or obligations to which the Authority is subject, whether under the laws of the United Kingdom or of a part of the United Kingdom or under the laws of any country or territory outside the United Kingdom;

and it shall be the duty of the Authority and of the Secretary of State, in the case of any property situated in any country or territory outside the United Kingdom which is transferred by virtue of this Act, or in the case of any rights, liabilities or obligations of the Authority under the laws of any such country or territory which are so transferred, to take all such steps as may be requisite for perfecting the transfer.

(4) Except as provided by sections 1 and 6 of this Act, nothing in this Act is to be construed as taking away from the Authority any power, right, liability or obligation expressly conferred on them by name by any enactment.