Commentary on Sections Section 97: Access to registers kept by Gas and Electricity Markets Authority
450.This section amends section 36 of the Gas Act 1986 and section 49 of the Electricity Act 1989. Those provisions govern the keeping of two registers by the Gas and Electricity Markets Authority, containing certain information relating to gas supply licensing and electricity supply licensing respectively. The amendments concern changes to the methods of access to the registers. Subsections (2) and (6) remove the requirement for the Authority to maintain physical registers at their premises.
451.Subsections (3) and (7) remove the right of public inspection, and the possibility of the requirement for the payment of a fee for such inspection. Instead, the contents of each register must be shown on the Authority’s website. This will increase ease of access to the registers. Subsections (4) and (8) preserve the power of the Secretary of State to, by order, prescribe a fee for the provision of a certified copy of, or extract from, any part of the register.
452.This section forms part of the law of England and Wales and Scotland. It comes into force at the end of the period of 2 months beginning with the day on which the Act is passed.