OpenLegislation

Counter-Inflation Act 1973

1973 c. 9 · Enacted 22 March 1973 · Extends to United Kingdom

Up to date with all changes known to legislation.gov.uk, revised to 1 February 1991.

An Act to establish a Price Commission and a Pay Board; to authorise the formulation of the principles to be applied by those bodies; to afford powers of control over prices, pay, dividends and rents; to provide for the furnishing of information about rates; and for connected purposes.

[22nd March 1973]C1

Annotations to the whole text

Modifications

C1

The Act as remaining in force immediately before the passing of the Competition Act 1980 repealed by Competition Act 1980 (c. 21, SIF 124:1), s. 33(4)(5), Sch. 2: by S.I. 1980/497 it is provided that s. 33(4) and Sch. 2 are in force except so far as relating to ss. 17(6)(8)(9), 18(4)(5), 19, 20(4)(5)(i)(iii)(7), 23(2), Sch. 4 para. 4 (except sub-paragraph (2)(b)): in the case of which the repeal comes into force on 1.1.2011.

Contents

  1. Part s I—IV
  2. 1Section 1
  3. 2. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Repealed
  4. 3, 4. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Repealed
  5. 5. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Repealed
  6. 6Section 6
  7. 7. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Repealed
  8. 8. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Repealed
  9. 9, 10. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Repealed
  10. 11—13. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Repealed
  11. 14. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Repealed
  12. Part V: Supplemental
  13. 15. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Repealed
  14. 16. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Repealed
  15. 17Offences
  16. 18Offences by unincorporated bodies.
  17. 19Application to Scotland.
  18. 20Application to Northern Ireland.
  19. 21, 22. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Repealed
  20. 23Short title, supplemental provisions and repeals.
  21. Schedule 1
  22. 1Paragraph 1 Repealed
  23. 2Paragraph 2
  24. 3Paragraph 3
  25. 4—8Paragraph 4—8 Repealed
  26. 9Paragraph 9 Repealed
  27. 10—19Paragraph 10—19 Repealed
  28. 20Paragraph 20 Repealed
  29. Schedule 2. . .
  30. Schedule 3
  31. Part I
  32. 1Paragraph 1
  33. 2Paragraph 2 Repealed
  34. 3Paragraph 3
  35. 4, 5Paragraph 4, 5 Repealed
  36. 6Paragraph 6 Repealed
  37. 7Paragraph 7 Repealed
  38. Part II
  39. 8Paragraph 8
  40. 9, 10Paragraph 9, 10 Repealed
  41. Schedule 4: Enforcement
  42. 1—3Paragraph 1—3 Repealed
  43. Restriction on disclosure of information obtained under this Act
  44. 4Paragraph 4
  45. 5Paragraph 5 Repealed
  46. Schedule 5. . .
  47. Schedule 6. . .

1

1)(2)

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . F1

3)(4)

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . F2

5)(6)

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

2. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .F1

3, 4. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .F1

5. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .F1

6

1)—(6)

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . F1

(7)

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . F2

7. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .F1

8. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .F1

9, 10. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .F1

11—13. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .F1

14. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .F1

15. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .F1

16. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .F1

17Offences

(1)

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . F1

2)—(4).

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . F2

(5)

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

C1(6)

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . F3where an offence under this Act F4or the M1Price Commission Act 1977 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, any director, manager, secretary or other similar officer of the body corporate or any person who was purporting to act in any such capacity, he as well as the body corporate shall be guilty of the offence and shall be liable to be proceeded against and punished accordingly. Where the affairs of a body corporate are managed by its members, the preceding provisions of this subsection 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 the body corporate.

(7)

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . F5

(8)

Nothing contained in or having effect under this Act F6or the M2Price Commission Act 1977, and nothing made illegal by this section, shall give rise to any criminal or tortious liability for conspiracy, or to any other liability in tort . . . F7

(9)

Proceedings for an offence under this Act shall not be instituted in England or Wales except by or with the consent of the Attorney General, or in Northern Ireland except by or with the consent of the Attorney General for Northern Ireland F8and in any such proceedings it shall be a defence for the person charged to prove that he took all reasonable precautions and exercised all due diligence to avoid the commission of the offence.

(10)

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

18Offences by unincorporated bodies.

1)—(3)

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . F1

C1(4)

Where an offence is alleged to have been committed under this Act by an unincorporated body . . . F2

(a)

proceedings for the offence shall be brought in the name of that body (and not in that of any of its members),

(b)

for the purpose of any such proceedings any rules of court relating to the service of documents shall have effect as if that body were a corporation, and

(c)

any fine imposed on conviction shall be enforceable, by way of execution, diligence or otherwise, against the funds of that body.

(5)

Where an offence mentioned in subsection (4) above is an offence punishable on conviction on indictment, section 33 of the M1Criminal Justice Act 1925 and F3Schedule 3 to the M2Magistrates’ Courts Act 1980 shall have effect as if the said body were a corporation.

(6)

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

19Application to Scotland.C1

(1)

The provisions of this section shall have effect for the application of this Act to Scotland.

(2)
(a)

Where an offence mentioned in section 18(4) of this Act is an offence punishable on conviction on indictment F1section 74 of the M1Criminal Procedure (Scotland) Act 1975 (proceedings on indictment against bodies corporate) shall have effect as if the said body were a body corporate.

(b)

Section 17(8) of this Act shall not apply but nothing contained in, or having effect under, this Act or made illegal by that section shall be relevant for the purposes of any proceedings in reparation . . . F2

20Application to Northern Ireland.

1)(2)

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . F1

(3)

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . F2

C1(4)

Where an offence mentioned in section 18(4) of this Act is an offence punishable on conviction on indictment, section 18 of the M1Criminal Justice Act (Northern Ireland) 1945 and F3Schedule 4 to the M2Magistrates’ Courts (Northern Ireland) Order 1981 (procedure on charge of an offence against a corporation) shall have effect as if the body there mentioned were a corporation.

(5)

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . F4

(a)

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

(b)

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . F5

and Schedule 4 to this Act shall apply as if

C2(i)

for references to a local weights and measures authority and to an inspector or chief inspector appointed under the Weights and M3Measures Act 1963 there were substituted respectively references to the Ministry of Commerce for Northern Ireland and any of its officers;

(ii)

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . F6

(iii)

references in paragraph 4 to a Minister of the Crown included references to a Minister of Northern Ireland and to a department of the Government of Northern Ireland.

(6)

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

(7)

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . F7

(8)

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

21, 22. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .F1

23Short title, supplemental provisions and repeals.

(1)

F1This Act may be cited as the Counter-Inflation Act 1973.

C1(2)

Schedules 3 and 4 to this Act (provisions about orders and notices, and about enforcement) shall have effect for supplementing this Act.

(3)

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

1

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . F1

2

(1)

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . F1

(2)

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . F2

3

(1)

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . F1

2)—(4)

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . F2

4—8

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . F1

9

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . F1

10—19

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . F1

20

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . F1

Schedule 2. . .F1

1

1)(2)

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . F1

(3)

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . F2

4)—(10)

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

2

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . F1

3

1)(2)

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . F1

(3)

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . F2

(4)

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

4, 5

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . F1

6

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . F1

7

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . F1

8

(1)

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . F1

(2)

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . F2

9, 10

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . F1

1—3

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . F1

4

C1(1)

This paragraph applies to information given or supplied pursuant to Part V of this Act, or obtained in the course of exercising the powers conferred by paragraph 3 above.

(2)

No such information shall be disclosed except—

(a)

with the consent of the person by whom or on whose behalf the information was given or supplied, or as the case may be the owner of the goods or the occupier of the land or premises, or

(b)

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . F1

(c)

to any Minister of the Crown, or an officer or servant appointed by, or person exercising functions on behalf of, a Minister of the Crown, or

(d)

in the case of information obtained by a person acting on behalf of a local weights and measures authority, to any officer of that authority, or

(e)

with a view to the institution of, or otherwise for the purpose of, any criminal proceedings pursuant to or arising out of this Act, . . . F2F3or the M1Price Commission Act 1977.

F4, or

(f)

for the purpose of facilitating the performance of any functions of the Price Commission.

(3)

Sub-paragraph (2) above does not apply to information given or supplied to F5the Price Commission in proceedings to which the public are admitted, or contained in any report of the Price Commission.

(4)

If a person contravenes the provisions of this paragraph he shall be liable—

(a)

on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding £400, and

(b)

on conviction on indictment to a fine.

5

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . F1

Schedule 5. . .F1

Schedule 6. . .F1