§ (1) Where a licence under this Act, not being a licence of right, authorises abstraction from an inland water in respect of which no minimum acceptable flow has been determined under Part III of this Act, then, at any time after the end of the period of one year beginning with the date on which the licence was granted but before such a minimum acceptable flow has been so determined, any person who is the owner of fishing rights in respect of that inland water may apply to the Minister for the revocation or variation of the licence.
§ (2) Any application under this section made by a person as owner of fishing rights in respect of an inland water shall be made on the grounds that, in his capacity as owner of those rights, he has sustained loss or damage which is directly attributable to the abstraction of water in pursuance of the licence in question, and either—
- (a) he is not entitled to a protected right under this Act in respect of that inland water, or
- (b) the loss or damage which he has sustained in his capacity as owner of those rights is not attributable to any such breach of statutory duty as is mentioned in subsection (1) or subsection (2) of section 49 of this Act or is in addition to any loss or damage attributable to any such breach.
§ (3) Where an application is made under this section, the applicant shall serve notice in the prescribed form on the river authority and on the holder of the licence, stating that each of them is entitled, at any time before the end of the period of twenty-eight days beginning with the date of service of the notice, to make representations in writing to the Minister with respect to the application; and the Minister, in determining the application, shall take into account any representations in writing received by him from the river authority or from the holder of the licence within that period.
§ (4) On an application under this section, the Minister shall not determine that the licence in question shall be revoked or varied unless—
- (a) the grounds of the application, as mentioned in subsection (2) of this section, are established to his satisfaction, and
- (b) the Minister is satisfied that the extent of the loss or damage which the applicant has sustained, as mentioned in that subsection, is such as to justify the revocation or variation of the licence,
§ (5) Subsections (2) and (3) of section 44 of this Act shall apply in relation to any matter required to be determined by the Minister under the last preceding subsection as they apply in relation to matters required to be determined by him under that section, but with the modification that an applicant under this section (as well as the holder of the licence) shall have the like rights to request a hearing, and to be heard, as the holder of the licence has under subsection (2) of that section.
§ (6) Section 46 of this Act shall have effect in relation to the revocation or variation of a licence under this section as it has effect in relation to the revocation or variation of a licence under section 44 of this Act.
§ (7) Where a licence is revoked or varied on an application under this section, the applicant shall be entitled to compensation from the river authority in respect of the loss or damage which he has sustained as mentioned in subsection (2) of this section.
§ (8) Where, on an application under this section for the revocation or variation of a licence, the Minister determines that the grounds of the application (as mentioned in subsection (2) of this section) have been established to his satisfaction, but that the licence shall not be revoked or varied in pursuance of that application, he shall certify accordingly; and thereupon, unless within the period of six months from the date on which that certificate is granted either—
- (a) notice to treat for the acquisition of the fishing rights of the applicant, or of an interest in land which includes those
799 rights, has been served by the river authority, or - (b) an offer has been made by the river authority to the owner of those rights to acquire those rights (or, where they subsist only as rights included in an interest in land, to acquire that interest) on terms that the price payable shall be equal to (and shall, in default of agreement, be determined in like manner as) the compensation which would be payable in respect thereof if the rights or interest were acquired compulsorily by the river authority,
§ (9) The amount of the compensation payable under the last preceding subsection in respect of any fishing rights shall be the amount by which the value of those rights (or, where they subsist only as rights included in an interest in land, the value of that interest) is depreciated by the operation of section 31(1) of this Act in relation to the licence to which the application related.
§ (10) Any question of disputed compensation under subsection (7) or under subsections (8) and (9) of this section shall be referred to and determined by the Lands Tribunal; and in relation to the determination of any such compensation the provisions of sections 2 and 4 of the Land Compensation Act, 1961 shall apply, subject to any necessary modifications.
§ (11) In this section "fishing rights", in relation to an inland water, means any right (whether it is an exclusive right or a right in common with one or more other persons) to fish in that water, where the right in question either constitutes an interest in land or is included in an interest in land or is exercisable by virtue of an exclusive licence granted for valuable consideration; any reference to an owner of fishing rights is a reference to the person for the time being entitled to those rights; and any reference to a right included in an interest in land is a reference to a right which is exercisable only by virtue of, and as a right incidental to, the ownership of that interest.—[Mr. Corfield.]
§ Brought up, read the First and Second time, and added to the Bill.
§ Bill reported, with Amendments; as amended (in the Standing Committee and on recommittal),considered.