Before any person sinks, for the purpose of searching for or getting any minerals, a shaft or borehole intended to reach a depth of more than F830.480 metres below the surface, he shall give to F22United Kingdom Research and Innovation (hereinafter referred to as “F21UKRI”) notice in writing of his intention to do so, and any person who for such a purpose sinks any such shaft or borehole shall keep a journal thereof, and shall retain for a period of not less than six months such specimens of the strata passed through as may have been obtained in the course of the sinking thereof, either as cores or fragments, and shall allow F21UKRI, or any officer appointed by them, to have free access at all reasonable times to any such shaft, borehole or core, to inspect and take copies of the journals of such shafts or boreholes, to inspect all specimens so obtained and kept, and to take representative specimens of any such cores.

If the person sinking any such shaft or borehole as aforesaid gives notice in writing to F21UKRI requiring them to treat as confidential any copies of journals or specimens so taken by F21UKRI or by any officer appointed by them, F21UKRI shall not allow those copies or specimens to be published or shown to any person not being an officer of F21UKRI, except with the consent of the person sinking such shaft or borehole:

The owner F10... or manager of every mine shall allow F21UKRI or any officer appointed by them to have free access at all reasonable times to all underground workings, and shall supply to F21UKRI or to any such officer as aforesaid such information and such specimens of seams or strata sunk through or opened out at the mine as may be reasonably required by F21UKRI.

If any person sinking any shaft or borehole, or the owner, F10... or manager of any mine fails to comply with any obligation imposed on him by the foregoing provisions of this section, he shall, in respect of each offence, be liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding F15F11level 3 on the standard scale.

Any officer appointed by F20UKRI shall have the same rights as to the production and inspection of plans, sections and drawings which, by or by virtue of the M1Mines and Quarries Act 1954, are required to be kept, as are by that Act conferred on inspectors, and that Act shall apply accordingly.

In subsection (1) above, the expression “minerals” includes petroleum within the meaning of Part I of the Petroleum Act 1998.

This Act may be cited as the Mining Industry Act 1926.

This Act shall not extend to Northern Ireland.