Section 52: Designation of Public Authorities
148.Section 52 gives power to a Minister to designate by order one or more named public authorities, identify the specific infraction case to which the designation relates, and describe the activities of the authority covered by the designation. Only acts or omissions after designation can be taken into account when passing on a financial sanction, and only activities which are carried out in the exercise of non-devolved functions of the authority can be included.
149.The Minister must consult with a public authority, and the appropriate national authority if the public authority has mixed functions, designating it. A Minister would be able to make an order at any point once an infraction case had been initiated by the Commission, and the UK Government had been formally notified – the earliest would be following a formal notice letter under Article 258 on the Treaty of the Functioning of the European Union.
150.All orders under this section are subject to the affirmative procedure, that is, the approval of both Houses of Parliament must be obtained – see section 235.