Article 3 Licences
In section 2 of the 1976 Act, for subsections (2) and (3) substitute—
“(2)Subject to subsection (3A)(a) of this section, any licence under this Act shall come into force immediately upon being granted.
(3)Subject to subsection (3A)(b) of this section and the provisions of this Act with respect to cancellation, any licence granted under this Act shall remain in force for two years and shall then expire.
(3A)Where, before the expiry of a licence granted under this Act (“the existing licence”), an application is made for a licence to be granted by way of renewal of the existing licence—
(a)if a licence is so granted, it shall come into force from the date of expiry of the existing licence, whether it is granted before, on or after that date;
(b)if the grant or refusal of that application occurs after the date of expiry of the existing licence, the existing licence shall be deemed to be still in force until the grant or refusal.
(3B)For the purposes of subsection (3A) of this section, a licence is not granted by way of renewal of an existing licence unless it is granted in respect of any species in respect of which the existing licence was granted (whether or not either licence also relates to some other species).”.