Office of Public Sector Information

147 Environment Agency

(1) The Secretary of State may by order—

(a) make provision for any function of the Comptroller and Auditor General relating to the Environment Agency to become a function also of the Auditor General for Wales so far as it relates to any of the Agency’s Welsh functions or to any funding provided to the Agency by the Assembly, or

(b) make provision about reports to the Assembly by the Environment Agency on the Agency’s activities in exercise of its Welsh functions (including provision for the giving of directions by the Assembly about such reports).

(2) An order under subsection (1) may contain any appropriate consequential, incidental, supplementary or transitional provisions or savings (including provisions in the form of amendments or repeals of enactments).

(3) An Order in Council under section 22 may include any provision that may be included in an order under subsection (1).

(4) In this section references to the Environment Agency’s Welsh functions are to its functions so far as exercisable in relation to Wales or to a cross-border body, or an English border area, in relation to which environmental functions of the Assembly are exercisable; and “environmental functions of the Assembly” means functions of the Assembly in a field in which the Environment Agency also has functions.

Miscellaneous

148 Health Authorities

In section 8(2) of the [1977 c. 49.] National Health Service Act 1977 (each Health Authority to act for such area of England or of Wales as is specified in the order establishing it), at the end insert “or, if the order so provides, for the whole of Wales”.

149 Agricultural wages committees

In section 2 of the [1948 c. 47.] Agricultural Wages Act 1948 (agricultural wages committees for counties and combinations of counties), in the proviso to subsection (1) (exceptions to proposition that there be one committee for each county in England and Wales), at the end insert “and

(c) there may, if the Minister thinks it expedient, be established as aforesaid a committee for the combination of all the counties in Wales instead of separate committees for counties or combinations of counties in Wales.”

150 Abolition of Residuary Body for Wales

(1) Paragraph 18 of Schedule 13 to the [1994 c. 19.] Local Government (Wales) Act 1994 (provisions for winding up of Residuary Body for Wales) is amended as follows.

(2) In sub-paragraph (2) (meaning of “the transitional period” within which the Residuary Body must try to complete its work and at the end of which it is to be wound up), for “period of five years beginning with the establishment of the Residuary Body” substitute “period beginning with the establishment of the Residuary Body and ending with 31st March 1999”.

(3) Omit—

(a) in sub-paragraph (3), “Subject to sub-paragraph (4),”, and

(b) sub-paragraph (4),

(under which the Secretary of State may specify a period longer than the transitional period as the period at the end of which the Residuary Body is to be wound up).

(4) For sub-paragraphs (5) to (7) (duty of Residuary Body to submit scheme for its winding up and to make arrangements for transfers etc. and power of Secretary of State to make orders) substitute—

“(5) The Residuary Body shall, before the end of the period of three months beginning with the day on which the Government of Wales Act 1998 is passed, submit to the Secretary of State a scheme for the winding up of the Residuary Body.

(6) The scheme shall include in relation to the Residuary Body’s remaining functions, property, rights and liabilities—

(a) a statement of arrangements made by the Residuary Body for their transfer by the Residuary Body to another body or bodies,

(b) proposals for their transfer by the Secretary of State to another body or bodies, or

(c) such a statement in relation to some of them and such proposals in relation to the rest.

(7) The Secretary of State may by order make provision for giving effect to the scheme (with or without modifications) and for the transfer of functions, property, rights and liabilities of the Residuary Body to another body or bodies (whether or not as proposed in the scheme).”

Part VII Supplementary

151 Power to amend enactments

(1) The Secretary of State may by order make in any enactment—

(a) contained in an Act passed before or in the same session as this Act, or

(b) made before the passing of this Act or in the session in which this Act is passed,

such amendments or repeals as appear to him to be appropriate in consequence of this Act.

(2) An Order in Council under section 22 may include any provision that may be included in an order under subsection (1).

152 Repeals

Schedule 18 (which contains repeals, including repeals of spent enactments) has effect.

153 Transitional provisions etc

(1) The Secretary of State may by order make such transitional, consequential, incidental or supplementary provision, or such savings, as he considers appropriate for the purpose of or in connection with the coming into force of any provision of this Act.

(2) If section 107 comes into force before the Human Rights Act 1998 has come into force (or come fully into force), that section shall have effect until the time when that Act is fully in force as it will have effect after that time.

154 Orders and directions

(1) Any power of a Minister of the Crown or the Assembly under this Act to make an order shall be exercisable by statutory instrument.

(2) No order to which this subsection applies shall be made unless a draft of the statutory instrument containing it has been laid before, and approved by a resolution of, each House of Parliament.

(3) Subsection (2) applies—

(a) to an order under section 11, 75(5), 108(2) or (3), 144(8) or 155(2), and

(b) to an order under section 96(5), 117, 133(3), 139(3), 143(3), 144(1) or (4), 146(1), 147(1) or 151 or paragraph 1 of Schedule 7 which contains provisions in the form of amendments or repeals of enactments contained in an Act.

(4) No order shall be made under section 82(6) unless a draft of the statutory instrument containing it has been laid before, and approved by a resolution of, the House of Commons.

(5) A statutory instrument containing an order to which this subsection applies shall (unless a draft of the statutory instrument has been approved by a resolution of each House of Parliament) be subject to annulment in pursuance of a resolution of either House of Parliament.

(6) Subsection (5) applies—

(a) to an order under section 3, 15(5), 17, 25, 36(5), 39, 49(1), 96(5), 106(3), 108(7), 117, 118(1)(f), 130(4), 133(3), 136(4), 139(3), 140(5), 143(3), 144(1) or (4), 146(1), 147(1), 151 or 153, paragraph 2 of Schedule 6, paragraph 1 of Schedule 7 or paragraph 17(9) of Schedule 9, and

(b) subject to subsection (7), to an order under section 108(1).

(7) A statutory instrument containing only an order under subsection (1) of section 108 revoking a previous order under that subsection—

(a) shall not be subject to annulment in pursuance of a resolution of either House of Parliament, but

(b) shall be laid before Parliament.

(8) Any power conferred by this Act to give a direction includes power to vary or revoke the direction.

155 Interpretation

(1) In this Act—

• “Community law” means—

  (a)

  all the rights, powers, liabilities, obligations and restrictions from time to time created or arising by or under the Community Treaties, and

  (b)

  all the remedies and procedures from time to time provided for by or under the Community Treaties,

• “delegate” includes further delegate,

• “enactment” includes subordinate legislation,

• “functions” includes powers and duties,

• “Minister of the Crown” includes the Treasury,

• “subordinate legislation” has the same meaning as in the [1978 c. 30.] Interpretation Act 1978, and

• “Wales” includes the sea adjacent to Wales out as far as the seaward boundary of the territorial sea;

and related expressions shall be construed accordingly.

(2) The Secretary of State may by order determine, or make provision for determining, for the purposes of the definition of “Wales” any boundary between—

(a) the parts of the sea which are to be treated as adjacent to Wales, and

(b) those which are not,

and may make different determinations or provision for different purposes; and an Order in Council under section 22 may include any provision that may be included in an order under this subsection.

(3) In this Act “financial year” means the twelve months ending with 31st March; and the first financial year of the Assembly is the financial year ending with the 31st March following the day of the first ordinary election.

(4) Section 13 of the [1983 c. 44.] National Audit Act 1983 (interpretation of references to the Committee of Public Accounts) applies for the purposes of this Act as for those of that Act.

156 Defined expressions

In this Act the expressions listed below are defined by, or otherwise fall to be construed in accordance with, the provisions indicated—

157 Financial provisions

(1) There shall be paid out of money provided by Parliament—

(a) any expenditure incurred by any Minister of the Crown or government department under or by virtue of this Act, and

(b) any increase attributable to this Act in the sums payable out of money so provided under any other enactment.

(2) There shall be paid out of the National Loans Fund any increase attributable to this Act in the sums payable out of that Fund under any other enactment.

(3) There shall be paid into the National Loans Fund any increase attributable to this Act in the sums payable into that Fund under any other enactment.

(4) There shall be paid into the Consolidated Fund any sums received by the Secretary of State under or by virtue of this Act (apart from any required to be paid into the National Loans Fund).

158 Commencement

(1) Parts I and II, the provisions of Part III other than sections 50 and 51, Parts IV to VI and section 152 (and Schedule 18) shall not come into force until such day as the Secretary of State may by order appoint.

(2) Different days may be appointed under this section for different purposes.

159 Short title

This Act may be cited as the Government of Wales Act 1998.