Enforcement Section 22: Offence to carry on unlicensed activities
64.This section makes it an offence for a person to carry out any of the activities listed in section 17 unless that person has a licence issued under section 18, or is a person (such as a contractor or sub-contractor) who carries out the relevant activity on behalf of a licensed person. It is also an offence to cause or permit such unlicensed activities to be carried out (for example by getting a contractor to do so).
65.Subsection (3) sets out the penalties for those offences (on summary conviction, a fine not exceeding £50,000 and, on conviction on indictment, imprisonment for a term not exceeding two years or an unlimited fine, or both). These penalties are set at the same level as those in Part 2 of the Food and Environment Protection Act 1985 (c. 48) (FEPA), as amended by the Environmental Protection Act 1990 (c. 43).
66.Subsection (4) provides, however, for a lesser penalty in circumstances where the activities in question are limited to exploration (rather than for instance the activity of carbon dioxide storage). On summary conviction, a person will be liable to a fine not exceeding the statutory maximum (currently £5,000 in England, Wales and Northern Ireland and £10,000 in Scotland) and, on conviction on indictment, to an unlimited fine.