Displacement of legislation preventing possession

16 If the Secretary of State certifies that possession of a house which—

(a) has been acquired by the Agency under section 21A above; and

(b) is for the time being held by the Agency for the purposes for which it was acquired,

is immediately required for those purposes, nothing in the [1976 c. 80.] Rent (Agriculture) Act 1976, the [1977 c. 42.] Rent Act 1977 or the [1988 c. 50.] Housing Act 1988 shall prevent the Agency from obtaining possession of the house.

Register of land holdings

17 (1) The Secretary of State may by regulations provide for the keeping by the Agency of a register recording their acquisitions, holdings and disposals of land.

(2) Regulations under this paragraph may prescribe—

(a) the kinds of land and the kinds of transactions to be registered;

(b) the form of the registers, and the particulars to be contained in them; and

(c) the circumstances in which, and conditions subject to which, the registers are to be open to public inspection.

Information

18 (1) Where, with a view to performing any function of the Agency relating to land, the Agency considers that they ought to have information connected with that or any other land, the Agency may serve on one or more of—

(a) the occupier of the land;

(b) any person who has an interest in the land either as freeholder, mortgagee or lessee, or who directly or indirectly receives rent for the land; and

(c) any person who, in pursuance of an agreement between himself and a person interested in the land, is authorised to manage the land or to arrange for the letting of it,

a notice specifying the land and the function and the provision which confers the function.

(2) The notice shall require the recipient to furnish to the Agency, within a period specified in it (which shall not be less than 14 days beginning with the day on which the notice is served)—

(a) the nature of his interest in the land; and

(b) the name and address of each person whom the recipient of the notice believes to be the occupier of the land and of each person whom he believes to be, as respects the land, a person mentioned in sub-paragraph (1)(b) or (c) above.

(3) A person who—

(a) refuses, or fails without reasonable excuse, to comply with the requirements of a notice served on him under sub-paragraph (1) above; or

(b) in furnishing any information in compliance with such a notice makes a statement which he knows to be false in a material particular or recklessly makes a statement which is false in a material particular,

shall be guilty of an offence and liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding level 4 on the standard scale.

19 (1) The council of every county and county borough in Wales, every joint planning board for a district in Wales and every National Park authority for a National Park in Wales shall supply the Agency—

(a) with such information as the Secretary of State may by regulations prescribe for the purposes of this paragraph (being information which the Agency may need for the purpose of performing their functions); and

(b) with such certificates supporting the information as the Secretary of State may in the regulations specify.

(2) If a local planning authority in Wales receives an application for planning permission, the authority shall as soon as practicable after receipt send a copy of the application to the Agency.

(3) On any grant of planning permission relating to land in Wales, the local planning authority, or the Secretary of State (if it was granted by him), shall, as soon as is practicable, send a copy of the notification of the planning permission to the Agency.

(4) Sub-paragraphs (2) and (3) above shall not apply if and so far as the Agency directs.

Regulations as to form of documents

20 The Secretary of State may make regulations for prescribing the form of any document required or authorised by or under this Schedule.

Local inquiries

21 Section 250 of the [1972 c. 70.] Local Government Act 1972 (costs of inquiries and expenses of witnesses) shall extend to any public local inquiry held under the [1981 c. 67.] Acquisition of Land Act 1981, by virtue of paragraph 1 above, as if the Agency were a local authority.

Crown land

22 (1) A private interest in land may be acquired compulsorily under section 21A above even though the land is Crown land if consent is given in writing by the appropriate authority.

(2) In this paragraph—

(a) “private interest” means an interest which is not a Crown interest or a Duchy interest;

(b) “Crown land” means land in which there is a Crown interest or a Duchy interest;

(c) “Crown interest” means an interest belonging to Her Majesty in right of the Crown or belonging to a government department or held in trust for Her Majesty for the purposes of a government department;

(d) “Duchy interest” means an interest belonging to Her Majesty in right of the Duchy of Lancaster or belonging to the Duchy of Cornwall; and

(e) “appropriate authority” in relation to Crown land shall be determined in accordance with section 293(2) of the [1990 c. 8.] Town and Country Planning Act 1990.

Offences by corporations

23 (1) Where an offence under this Schedule which has been committed by a body corporate is proved to have been committed with the consent or connivance of, or to be attributable to any neglect on the part of—

(a) a director, manager, secretary or other similar officer of the body corporate; or

(b) any person who was purporting to act in any such capacity,

he, as well as the body corporate, shall be guilty of that offence and liable to be proceeded against accordingly.

(2) Where the affairs of a body corporate are managed by its members, this paragraph shall apply in relation to acts and defaults of a member in connection with his functions of management as if he were a director of a body corporate.”