Commentary on Sections Licensing of services provided to eligible premises Section 6: Licence authorisation
34.Section 6 provides for the Commission to grant licences which authorise licence holders to provide services to the occupiers of eligible premises (as defined in section 27). The Commission's powers to grant licences are subject to the provisions at section 7, as regards the Commission granting licences, and at paragraphs 1 and 2 of schedule 2 to the Act, which makes detailed provision for applications for licences and licence conditions.
35.Subsections (1) and (2) and subsections (3) and (4) respectively empower the Commission to grant a “water services licence” and a "sewerage services licence". These licences will authorise their holders (the "water services providers" and "sewerage services providers") to arrange for the supply of water, or the provision of sewerage services, as the case may be, to the occupiers of eligible premises. Subsection (5) provides that where premises are unoccupied, references to occupiers in this section are to be read as referring to the owner of the premises. Eligible premises are defined in section 27 as premises other than domestic dwellings. These subsections also set out that providers can fix, demand and recover charges for the water or sewerage services they provide.