Fuel and Electricity (Control) Act 1973
Fuel and Electricity (Control)Act 1973
1973 CHAPTER 67
An Act to make temporary provision for controlling the production, supply, acquisition and use of certain substances and of electricity; and for purposes connected with those matters.
[6th December 1973]
Be it enacted by the Queen's most Excellent Majesty, by and with the advice and consent of the Lords Spiritual and Temporal, and Commons, in this present Parliament assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:—
1 Application of Act.
(1) This Act applies to the following substances—
(a ) petroleum and any substance derived from petroleum; and
(b ) any substance, whether solid, liquid or gaseous, not falling within paragraph (a ) above but used as fuel, whether for the propulsion of vehicles or for industrial, domestic or any other purposes.
(2) The following provisions of this Act apply in relation to electricity as they apply in relation to the substances mentioned in subsection (1) above.
2 Powers of control.
(1) The Secretary of State may by order provide—
(a ) for regulating or prohibiting the production, supply, acquisition or use of any substance to which this Act applies;
(b ) for regulating the price at which petroleum or any substance derived from petroleum may be supplied.
(2) The Secretary of State may give directions—
(a ) to any person carrying on business as a producer of a substance to which this Act applies, as to the production and use of that substance;
(b ) to any person carrying on business as a supplier of such a substance, as to the supply by him of that substance; and
(c ) to any person carrying on a business involving the use of such a substance, as to the use by him of that substance for the purposes of that business.
(3) Without prejudice to the generality of subsection (2) above—
(a ) a direction under subsection (2)(a ) above may prohibit or restrict the use of any material for the production of a substance to which this Act applies and may extend to the disposal of stocks of such a substance or of any such material;
(b ) a direction under subsection (2)(b ) above may prohibit or restrict the supply of any substance to which this Act applies to persons specified in the direction or to persons other than those so specified and may require the supply of any such substance to such persons as may be so specified in accordance with such requirements as may be so specified and, if the substance is petroleum or a substance derived from petroleum, at such prices as may be so specified; and
(c ) a direction under subsection (2)(c ) above may prohibit or restrict the use of any substance to which this Act applies for such purposes or during such periods as may be specified in the direction or for purposes or during periods other than those so specified.
3 Documents and information.
3. The Secretary of State may, by directions given with respect to any undertaking, or order made with respect to any class of undertaking, require the person carrying on the undertaking or persons carrying on undertakings of that class—
4 Power to relax statutory and contractual obligations, etc.
(1) Any person supplying or using a substance to which this Act applies may, if authorised to do so by the Secretary of State by any general or special authority granted for the purpose, and while acting in accordance with that authority, disregard or fall short in discharging any obligation imposed by or under any enactment, or any contractual obligation, relating to or involving the supply or use of that substance.
(2) At any time while an order under section 2(1) of this Act is in force the Secretary of State may grant, or enable any person to grant on his behalf, a general or special authority for the doing, during the whole or any part of the period for which the order is in force, of all or any of the things mentioned in the following paragraphs; and a person acting under and in accordance with such an authority may then—
(a ) use, or cause or permit the use of, any vehicle on a road as a stage carriage, an express carriage or a contract carriage without any licence, permit, agreement or consent otherwise required, and notwithstanding that the vehicle does not comply with regulations made under section 160 of the Road Traffic Act 1960 or with such of the regulations made under section 40 of the Road Traffic Act 1972 as would not apply to the vehicle if it were not so used;
(b ) drive or act as conductor of a public service vehicle without being licensed to do so under section 144 of the Road Traffic Act 1960 or employ a person not so licensed to drive or act as conductor of any such vehicle;
(c ) act, or cause or permit a person to act, as the driver of a passenger vehicle without complying with the requirements of subsections (1) to (6) of section 96 of the Transport Act 1968...
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