43(1)Section 17 of the 1979 Act (agreements concerning ancient monuments) shall be amended as follows.
(2)After subsection (1) there shall be inserted—
“(1A)The Commission may enter into an agreement under this section with the occupier of an ancient monument situated in England or of any land so situated which adjoins or is in the vicinity of an ancient monument so situated.”
(3)In subsection (4) for " (as the case may be) by the local authority " there shall be substituted " the Commission or the local authority (as the case may be) " and for " (as the case may be) to the local authority " there shall be substituted " the Commission or the local authority (as the case may be) ".
(4)At the end of the section there shall be inserted—
“(9)References to an ancient monument in subsection (1A) above, and in subsection (3) above so far as it applies for the purposes of subsection (1A), shall be construed as if the reference in section 61(12)(b) of this Act to the Secretary of State were to the Commission.”