Section 12.
1(1)The chairman of the National Council, and the chairmen of the Regional Councils, shall be paid such remuneration, or such allowances in respect of any loss of remunerative time, and such travelling allowances and allowances in respect of their out-of-pocket expenses, as the Secretary of State may with the consent of the Minister for the Civil Service determine.
(2)The other members of those Councils, and the members of committees and individuals acting as local representatives of the Regional Councils, shall be paid such allowances in respect of any loss of remunerative time, travelling allowances and allowances in respect of their out-of-pocket expenses as the Secretary of State may with the consent of the Minister for the Civil Service determine.
(3)There shall be paid such pensions, or arrangements shall be made for the payment of such pensions, to or in respect of persons who are or have been in receipt of remuneration under sub-paragraph (1) above as the Secretary of State may with the consent of the Minister for the Civil Service determine; and if a person in receipt of remuneration under that sub-paragraph ceases to hold the office by virtue of which he receives it, and it appears to the Secretary of State that there are special circumstances which make it right that that person should receive compensation, that person shall be paid a sum of such amount as the Secretary of State may with the consent of the Minister for the Civil Service determine.
2(1)The National Council and each of the Regional Councils may, subject to the approval of the Secretary of State as to numbers, appoint such officers as appear to them to be requisite for the proper discharge of their functions; and the officers of the said Councils shall be paid such remuneration and allowances as the Secretary of State may determine.
(2)There shall be paid such pensions, or arrangements shall be made for the payment of such pensions, to or in respect of persons who are or have been officers of any of the said Councils as the Secretary of State may determine.
(3)Each of the said Councils shall be furnished with such office accommodation and equipment as they reasonably consider requisite for ithe proper discharge of their functions, or as the Secretary of State may after consultation with them determine.
(4)There shall be paid such expenses incurred by the National Council, the Regional Councils or the local representatives of the Regional Councils as the Secretary of State may after consultation with the Council in question determine.
(5)In this paragraph, references to the functions of Regional Councils include references to the functions of local representatives of Regional Councils.
3The payments to be made under paragraphs 1 and 2 above shall be provided from the funds of the Corporation; and the arrangements to be made, and accommodation and equipment to be furnished, under those paragraphs shall be made or, as the case may be, furnished by the Corporation.
4In Part III of Schedule 1 to the [1957 c. 20.] House of Commons Disqualification Act 1957 as it applies in relation to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, after the entry relating to the Chairman of the Mining Qualifications Board there shall be inserted the words " Chairman in receipt of remuneration of the National Gas Consumers' Council or any Regional Gas Consumers' Council. "
5(1)The Secretary of State may make regulations with respect to—
(a)the appointment of, and the tenure and vacation of office by, members of the National Council and the Regional Councils,
(b)the appointment of deputy chairmen of those Councils,
(c)the quorum, proceedings, meetings and determinations of those Councils,
(d)the execution of instruments on behalf of those Councils, and the proof of documents purporting to be executed on their behalf, and
(e)any other matters supplementary or incidental to those above mentioned for which provision appears to him to be necessary or expedient.
(2)Subject to any such regulations, the said Councils shall have power to regulate their own procedure.
6The validity of any proceedings of the National Council or any of the Regional Councils shall not be affected by any vacancy amongst the members or of any defect in the appointment of a member.
7Directions under section 9(3)(b) of this Act may contain such provision consequential on any variation of area thereby effected as the Secretary of State may consider expedient, and may in particular provide for the dissolution of any Regional Council, the winding up of their affairs and the disposal of their records in such manner as the National Council consider desirable, and the payment by the Corporation of any specified expenses arising out of the dissolution and winding up.