A
BILL
TO
Provide for controls on the powers of certain regulatory authorities to impose
charges for their services; and for connected purposes.
Be it enacted by the Queen’s most Excellent Majesty, by and with the advice and
consent of the Lords Spiritual and Temporal, and Commons, in this present
Parliament assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:—
1 Fees charged by regulatory authorities
(1)
No regulatory authority carrying out functions in England on behalf of a
Minister of the Crown may increase, over any given period of time, the fees
charged in respect of any of its services by more than the rate of inflation,
5measured by the Consumer Prices Index, over that given period of time.
(2)
No regulatory authority shall introduce a charge in respect of a service
currently provided free of charge in England unless a report has been laid
before Parliament setting out the reasons for the introduction of the charge and
that report has been approved by a resolution of each House of Parliament.
(3)
10No Minister of the Crown may increase the level of any grant payable to a
regulatory authority as a consequence of the provisions in this Act.
(4)
In this Act “regulatory authority” includes any authority or body which
regulates the carrying on of any business or activity, or the practice of any
profession.
(5)
15The Secretary of State may make by regulations such consequential, saving,
transitional or transitory provision as he or she considers appropriate, which
shall be made by statutory instrument and shall be subject to annulment in
pursuance of a resolution of either House of Parliament.
2 Short title, commencement and extent
(1)
20This Act may be cited as the Regulatory Authorities (Level of Charges) Act
2011.
(2)
This Act comes into force after a period of 2 months beginning with the day on
which it is passed.
Regulatory Authorities (Level of Charges) BillPage 2
(3) This Act extends to England and Wales only.