{
  "url": "https://openlegislation.uk/deregulation-and-contracting-out-act-1994/section-79",
  "json_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/deregulation-and-contracting-out-act-1994/section-79.json",
  "legislation": "ukpga/1994/40",
  "legislation_title": "Deregulation and Contracting Out Act 1994",
  "legislation_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/deregulation-and-contracting-out-act-1994",
  "path": "section/79",
  "kind": "section",
  "number": "79",
  "heading": "Interpretation of Part II.",
  "text": "(1) In this Part—\n“employee”, in relation to a body corporate, includes any director or other officer of that body;\n“enactment” does not include an enactment contained in Northern Ireland legislation but, subject to that, includes an enactment contained in an Act (whenever passed) and an enactment contained in subordinate legislation (whenever made);\n“function”, in relation to a local authority, includes any power to do any thing which is calculated to facilitate, or is conducive or incidental to, the exercise of a function;\n“joint board”—\n(a)in relation to England and Wales, means a joint or special planning board constituted for a National Park by order under paragraph 1, 3 or 3A of Schedule 17 to the Local Government Act 1972, or a joint planning board within the meaning of section 2 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990;\n(b)in relation to Scotland, has the same meaning as in the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973;\n“joint committee”—\n(a)in relation to England and Wales, means a joint committee appointed under section 102(1)(b) of the Local Government Act 1972;\n(b)in relation to Scotland, has the same meaning as in the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973;\n“local authority”—\n(a)in relation to England, has the meaning given by section 79A;\n(b)in relation to Wales, has the meaning given by section 79B;\n(c)in relation to Scotland, has the same meaning as in the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973;\n“Minister” has the same meaning as Minister of the Crown has in the Ministers of the Crown Act 1975;\n“Northern Ireland legislation” means—\n(a)Northern Ireland legislation within the meaning of section 24 of the Interpretation Act 1978; and\n(b)instruments, within the meaning of the Interpretation Act (Northern Ireland) 1954, made under such legislation;\n“office-holder” does not include a Minister, an officer of either House of Parliament, the Auditor General for Wales, the Parliamentary Commissioner for Administration, the Public Services Ombudsman for Wales ... , the Health Service Commissioner for England ... or the Scottish Public Services Ombudsman but, subject to that, means—\n(a)the holder of an office created or continued in existence by a public general Act of Parliament;\n(b)the holder of an office the remuneration in respect of which is paid out of money provided by Parliament;\n(c)the registrar of companies for England and Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland; and\n(d)the registrar of approved driving instructors;\n“officer”—\n(a)in relation to a Minister, means any person in the civil service of the Crown who is serving in his department;\n(b)in relation to an office-holder, means any member of his staff, or any person in the civil service of the Crown who has been assigned or appointed to assist him in the exercise of his functions;\n“the registrar of approved driving instructors” means the officer of the Secretary of State by whom the register of approved driving instructors established in pursuance of section 23 of the Road Traffic Act 1962 is compiled and maintained;\n“subordinate legislation” has the same meaning as in the Interpretation Act 1978.\n(2) In relation to any time before 1st April 1996, subsection (1) above shall have effect as if, in paragraph (b) of the definition of “local authority”, for the words “county borough” there were substituted the word “ district ”.\n(3) Subject to subsection (4) below, this Part shall have effect as if—\n(a) any reference to a Minister included a reference to the Forestry Commissioners or to the Charity Commission;\n(b) any reference to an officer in relation to the Charity Commission were a reference to a member or member of staff of the Commission; and.\n(b) any reference to a local authority included references to a joint board and a joint committee.\n(4) Nothing in subsection (3) above shall be construed as enabling those Commissioners or that Commission ... to make an order under section 69 or 70 above ....\n(5) Subject to subsection (6) below, any function of an examiner or other officer of the Patent Office which is conferred by or under any enactment shall be treated for all purposes of this Part as if it were a function of the Comptroller-General of Patents, Designs and Trade Marks.\n(6) In any case where by virtue of an order made under section 69 above a person is authorised by that Comptroller to exercise any such function as is mentioned in subsection (5) above, section 72(2) above shall have effect as if for paragraphs (a) and (b) there were substituted the words “ by or in relation to an examiner or other officer of the Patent Office in his capacity as such ”.",
  "extent": "E+W+S+N.I.",
  "status": null,
  "version": "current",
  "annotations": [
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F1",
      "text": "Words in s. 79(1) substituted (1.4.2008) by Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Act 2007 (c. 28), ss. 239(2)(a), 245(5); S.I. 2008/917, art. 2(1)(u) (with art. 6(6))"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F2",
      "text": "Words in s. 79(1) substituted (1.4.2008) by Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Act 2007 (c. 28), ss. 239(2)(b), 245(5); S.I. 2008/917, art. 2(1)(u) (with art. 6(6))"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F3",
      "text": "Words in the definition in s. 79(1) inserted (1.4.1999) by 1998 c. 38, s. 125, Sch. 12 para. 36(a) (with ss. 139(2), 143(2)); S.I. 1999/782, art. 2"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F4",
      "text": "Words in s. 79(1) substituted (1.4.2006) by Public Services Ombudsman (Wales) Act 2005 (c. 10), s. 40, Sch. 6 para. 55(a); S.I. 2005/2800, art. 5(1)(3)"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F5",
      "text": "Words in s. 79(1) omitted (14.7.2004) by virtue of Scottish Public Services Ombudsman Act 2002 (Consequential Provisions and Modifications) Order 2004 (S.I. 2004/1823), arts. 1, 18"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F6",
      "text": "Words in s. 79(1) substituted (14.7.2004) by Scottish Public Services Ombudsman Act 2002 (Consequential Provisions and Modifications) Order 2004 (S.I. 2004/1823), arts. 1, 18"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F7",
      "text": "Words in s. 79(1) repealed (1.4.2006) by Public Services Ombudsman (Wales) Act 2005 (c. 10), s. 40, Sch. 6 para. 55(b), Sch. 7; S.I. 2005/2800, art. 5(1)(3)"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F8",
      "text": "Words in s. 79(1) substituted (1.10.2009) by The Companies Act 2006 (Consequential Amendments, Transitional Provisions and Savings) Order 2009 (S.I. 2009/1941), art. 1(2), Sch. 1 para. 148(3) (with art. 10)"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F9",
      "text": "S. 79(3)(a)(b) substituted for s. 79(3)(a) (27.2.2007) by Charities Act 2006 (c. 50), s. 79(2), Sch. 8 para. 179(2); S.I. 2007/309, art. 2"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F10",
      "text": "Words in s. 79(4) inserted (27.2.2007) by Charities Act 2006 (c. 50), s. 79(2), Sch. 8 para. 179(3); S.I. 2007/309, art. 2"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F11",
      "text": "Words in s. 79(4) repealed (15.11.2001) by S.I. 2001/3686, regs. 1(1), 6(11)(b)"
    },
    {
      "type": "M",
      "label": "M1",
      "text": "1972 c.70."
    },
    {
      "type": "M",
      "label": "M2",
      "text": "1990 c.8."
    },
    {
      "type": "M",
      "label": "M3",
      "text": "1973 c.65."
    },
    {
      "type": "M",
      "label": "M4",
      "text": "1975 c. 26."
    },
    {
      "type": "M",
      "label": "M5",
      "text": "1978 c.30."
    },
    {
      "type": "M",
      "label": "M6",
      "text": "1954 c.33 (N.I.)."
    },
    {
      "type": "M",
      "label": "M7",
      "text": "1962 c.59."
    },
    {
      "type": "M",
      "label": "M8",
      "text": "1978 c.30."
    },
    {
      "type": "C",
      "label": "C1",
      "text": "S. 79(1) extended (1.7.1999) by S.I. 1999/1351, arts. 1, 17(2)(f) (with art. 8)"
    }
  ],
  "outstanding_effects": [
    {
      "type": "words substituted",
      "affecting": "asc/2026/7",
      "affecting_title": "Planning (Consequential Provisions) (Wales) Act 2026"
    },
    {
      "type": "repealed",
      "affecting": "ukpga/2007/28",
      "affecting_title": "Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Act 2007"
    }
  ],
  "provenance": {
    "source": "legislation.gov.uk",
    "source_url": "https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1994/40/section/79",
    "retrieved_at": "2026-10-29T09:33:33.258725+00:00"
  },
  "licence": "Open Government Licence v3.0",
  "licence_url": "https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/",
  "attribution": "Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives."
}