PART II

DEPOSITS IN THE SEA

Miscellaneous

Duty of licensing authority to keep public registers of information.
14
1
It shall be the duty of each licensing authority, as respects licences for which it is the licensing authority, to maintain, in accordance with regulations, a register containing prescribed particulars of or relating to—
a
applications for licences made to that authority;
b
the licences issued by that authority;
c
variations of licences effected by that authority;
d
revocations of licences effected by that authority;
e
convictions for any offences under section 9 above;
f
information obtained or furnished in pursuance of section 8(3), (4) or (5) above;
g
the occasions on which either of the Ministers has carried out any operation under section 10 above; and
h
such other matters relating to operations for which licences are needed under this Part of this Act as may be prescribed.
2
No information shall be included in any register which, in the opinion of either of the Ministers, is such that its disclosure on the register—
a
would be contrary to the interests of national security, or
b
would prejudice to an unreasonable degree some person’s commercial interests.
3
Information excluded from a register by virtue of subsection (2)(b) above shall be treated as ceasing to prejudice a person’s commercial interests at the expiry of the period of four years beginning with the date on which the Minister made his decision under that subsection; but, on the application of any person to whom it relates, the Minister shall decide whether the information should be included or continue to be excluded from the register.
4
Where information of any description is excluded from a register by virtue of subsection (2)(b) above, a statement shall be entered in the register indicating the existence of information of that description.
5
It shall be the duty of each licensing authority—
a
to secure that the register maintained by the authority under this section is available, at all reasonable times, for inspection by the public free of charge; and
b
to afford to members of the public facilities for obtaining copies of entries, on payment of reasonable charges.
6
Registers under this section may be kept in any form.
7
In this section “
prescribed
” means prescribed in regulations.
8
Either of the Ministers may exercise any power to make regulations under this section and any such power shall be exercisable by statutory instrument, subject to annulment in pursuance of a resolution of either House of Parliament.
S. 14 substituted (31.5.1991) by Environmental Protection Act 1990 (c. 43, SIF 46:4), s. 147, S.I. 1991/1319, art.2
S. 14 extended (with modifications) (22.8.1997) by S.I. 1997/1770, art. 3
S. 14 extended (with modifications) (22.8.1997) by S.I. 1997/1771, art. 3
S. 14 power to transfer functions conferred (1.12.1998) by 1998 c. 38, s. 22(1)(c)(5), Sch. 3 Pt. I, para. 4(1)(a) (with ss. 139(2), 143(2)); S.I. 1998/2789, art. 2
Pt. II modified (1.3.1995) by S.R. 1995/12, reg. 9