Pilotage Act 1983

Other provisions relating to pilotage authorities

17Licensing of pilots by pilotage authority not to involve any liability

The grant or renewal of a licence to a pilot by a pilotage authority under the powers given to them by this Act does not impose any liability on the authority for any loss occasioned by any act or default of the pilot.

18Receipts and expenses of pilotage authority

(1)All receipts of a pilotage authority in their capacity as such (other than any money received by them on behalf of and paid over to any pilot, or if the authority administer a pilots' benefit fund, any sums received by them as direct payments for that fund), shall be paid into a separate fund or account, to be called the pilot fund or account of the pilotage district.

(2)All expenses incurred by a pilotage authority in the exercise of their powers or performance of their duties as such authority shall be paid out of their pilot fund or account, and, except so far as may be provided to the contrary by byelaw, the balance remaining after the payment of those expenses shall in each year be applied for the purposes of any pilots' benefit fund established in the district and so far as not required for that purpose shall be applied for the benefit of pilots in such manner as may be determined by the pilotage authority with the approval of the Secretary of State.

(3)A separate account shall be kept by any pilotage authority who administer a pilots' benefit fund of all moneys received by them as payments to that fund, or for the benefit of that fund, and money standing to the credit of that account shall not be applicable to any purpose other than the purposes of the fund.

(4)Nothing in this section shall prevent a pilotage authority which owns or hires the pilot boats for the district from keeping a separate account in respect of such boats.

19Returns and statements of accounts of pilotage authorities

(1)Every pilotage authority shall deliver triennially or, if the Secretary of State so directs, at shorter intervals, to the Commission, in the form and at the time required by the Secretary of State, returns giving such particulars as the Secretary of State may by order prescribe with respect to pilotage in their district.

(2)Every pilotage authority shall in addition furnish annually to the Commission, at such time as the Secretary of State directs, a statement of their accounts in the form prescribed by the Secretary of State, duly audited, including a statement of the average gross and net earnings of pilots during the past year, and, where the authority administer a pilots' benefit fund, the separate accounts of that fund, including particulars of the investments if any.

(3)Every pilotage authority shall allow the Commission or any person appointed by the Commission for the purpose, to inspect any books or documents in the possession of that authority relating to any matter in respect of which a return is required to be delivered or a statement is required to be furnished under this section.

(4)If a pilotage authority refuse or fail without reasonable cause to deliver any return or furnish any statement to the Commission in accordance with this section, Her Majesty may by Order in Council suspend the pilotage authority for such time as Her Majesty may direct, and thereupon the Secretary of State shall by order direct that, in the meantime, the powers of the authority shall be exercised, and the duties of the authority shall be performed by such person as he may appoint for the purpose.

(5)It shall be the duty of the Commission to send to the Secretary of State and to publish in such manner as the Commission thinks fit, copies of the returns and statements received by the Commission under this section.

(6)It shall be the duty of the Secretary of State to lay before Parliament copies of any document he receives in pursuance of subsection (5) above.