Water Industry Act 1991

217Construction of provision conferring powers by reference to undertakers' functions

(1)The purposes to which this section applies shall be the construction of any enactment which, by reference to the functions of a relevant undertaker, confers any power on or in relation to that undertaker.

(2)For the purposes to which this section applies the functions of every relevant undertaker shall be taken to include joining with or acting on behalf of—

(a)the NRA;

(b)one or more other relevant undertakers; or

(c)the NRA and one or more other such undertakers,

for the purpose of carrying out any works or acquiring any land which at least one of the bodies with which it joins, or on whose behalf it acts, is authorised to carry out or acquire for the purposes of that body’s functions under any enactment or of any function which is taken to be a function of that body for the purposes to which this section or section 3 of the [1991 c. 57.] Water Resources Act 1991 (functions of NRA for certain purposes) applies.

(3)For the purposes to which this section applies the functions of every relevant undertaker shall be taken to include the protection against pollution—

(a)of any waters, whether on the surface or underground, which belong to the NRA or any water undertaker or from which the NRA or any water undertaker is authorised to take water;

(b)without prejudice to paragraph (a) above, of any reservoir which belongs to or is operated by the NRA or any water undertaker or which the NRA or any water undertaker is proposing to acquire or construct for the purpose of being so operated; and

(c)of any underground strata from which the NRA or any water undertaker is for the time being authorised to abstract water in pursuance of a licence under Chapter II of Part II of the [1991 c. 57.] Water Resources Act 1991.

(4)For the purposes to which this section applies the functions of every relevant undertaker shall be taken to include the furtherance of research into matters in respect of which functions are conferred by or under this Act, the other consolidation Acts or the [1989 c. 15.] Water Act 1989 on the NRA, on water undertakers or on sewerage undertakers.

(5)For the purposes to which this section applies the functions of every relevant undertaker shall be taken to include the provision of houses and other buildings for the use of persons employed by that undertaker and the provision of recreation grounds for persons so employed.

(6)For the purposes to which this section applies the functions of every water undertaker shall be taken to include the provision of supplies of water in bulk, whether or not such supplies are provided for the purposes of, or in connection with, the carrying out of any other function of that undertaker.

(7)For the purposes to which this section applies the functions of every water undertaker shall be taken to include the doing of anything in pursuance of any arrangements under section 20 of the Water Resources Act 1991 between that undertaker and the NRA.

(8)In this section “the other consolidation Acts” has the same meaning as in section 206 above.