HC Deb 22 December 1919 vol 123 cc1124-6

(1) The Electricity Commissioners may provisionally determine that any district in the United Kingdom shall be constituted a separate electricity district for the purposes of this Act., and in considering what areas are to be included in a district, areas shall be grouped in such manner as may seem to the Commissioners must conducive to the efficiency and economy of the supply of electricity and to convenience of administration. Before finally determining the area of any such district the Electricity-Commissioners shall publish notice of their intention so to do and of the area proposed to be included in such district. and shall also give notice thereof to all county councils, local authorities, and authorised undertakers any part of whose county district or area of supply is proposed to be included in such district, and if any objection or representation be made on account of the inclusion in or the exclusion from the proposed district of any area the Electricity Commissioners shall hold a local inquiry with reference to the area to be included in the proposed district: (4) If it appears to the Commissioners that no satisfactory scheme can be formulated under the foregoing provisions of this Section, they may, if they consider it necessary, propose a scheme for the constitution of a district electricity board for the district. (5) The Electricity Commissioners shall publish, in such manner as they think best adapted for ensuring publicity, any scheme which they have approved, with or without modifications, or which they have themselves formulated, or a scheme for the constitution of a district electricity board, and shall hold a local inquiry thereon. (6) A scheme under this Section may provide for the establishment and incorporation with power to hold land without licence in mortmain of a joint electricity authority representative of authorised undertakers within the district, either with or without the addition of representatives of the council of any county situate wholly or partly within the district, other local authorities, large consumers of electricity, and other interests within the district, and, subject as hereinafter in this Act provided, for the exercise by that authority of all or any of the powers of the authorised undertakers within the district, and for the transfer to the authority of the whole or any part of the undertakings of any of those undertakers, upon such terms as may be provided by the scheme, and for applying in relation to the joint electricity authority any of the provisions of this Act relating to district electricity boards including the provisions as to borrowing, lending, and giving financial assistance by and to those boards). and the scheme may contain any consequential, incidental, and supplemental provisions which appear to be expedient or proper for the purpose of the scheme, including provisions dealing with any right of purchase of any undertakings affected by the scheme and provisions determining the area included in the district: Provided that no such scheme shall provide for the transfer to the authority of any part of an undertaking other than a generating station or main transmission line except with the consent of the owners thereof, and that unless otherwise agreed the price payable on the transfer of a generating station or main transmission line shall be the standard price hereinafter mentioned. (7) A scheme for the establishment of a district electricity board shall incorporate the board -with power to hold land without licence in mortmain, and shall provide for the inclusion, as members of the board of representatives of county councils, of local authorities, companies, and persons who are authorised undertakers within the district, of railway companies using or proposing to use electricity for traction purposes, of large consumers of electricity within the district, and of labour, and, where any borough or district councils (not being authorised undertakers) or the Electricity Commissioners agree to afford financial assistance to the board in manner provided by this Act, also of representatives of those councils or persons nominated by the Commissioners, and the members shall be appointed or elected in such manner, and shall hold office for such term, as may be provided by the order. The scheme may provide for enabling the board to delegate, with or without restrictions, to committees of the board any of the powers or duties of the board, and for the payment out of the revenues of the board of travelling and subsistence expenses of members of the board and reasonable compensation for loss of remunerative time. (8) The Electricity Commissioners may make an order giving effect to the decisions they arrive at as the result of the inquiry, and present the order for confirmation by the Board of Trade, who may confirm the order either without modification or subject to such modifications as they think fit. Any such order shall he. laid, as soon as may be after it is made, before each House of Parliament, tort shall not come into operation unless and until it has been approved by a resolution passed by each such House, and when so approved shall have effect as if enacted in this Act. (9) An order made under this section may be altered by a subsequent order made, confirmed and approved in like manner- as the original order, and any such subsequent order may provide for the dissolution of a joint electricity authority and the substitution therefor of a district electricity board.

Lords Amendments: In Sub-section (1), leave out the word "such"["included in such district"], and insert instead thereof the words "the electricity."—Agreed to.

Leave out Sub-section (4).—Agreed to.

In Sub-section (5), leave out the words "or a scheme for the constitution of a district electricity board."—Agreed to.

Leave out Sub-sections (6) to (9) inclusive.—Agreed to.

After Clause 5 insert new Clauses A and B