Section 18 Schemes as to drainage.C1

It shall be lawful for the Board of Trade after . . . F1 holding such other inquiry as they may think fit, to make schemes with respect to any group of mines as to the drainage thereof, and as to the apportionment as between the owners of the mines in question of any expenditure for a common purpose that may be required by any such scheme, and any such scheme may amend or repeal any local Act of Parliament in connection with such drainage.

For this purpose the Board of Trade may adopt with or without modifications any scheme relating to the drainage of any group of mines proposed by all or any of the owners of such mines.

F2The provisions of Parts I and III of the Second Schedule to the M1Mines and Quarries Act 1954, shall, with the necessary modifications, have effect with respect to the procedure for making a scheme under this section as they have effect with respect to the procedure for making general regulations under that Act, and the power conferred by this section to make a scheme shall be construed as including power (exercisable in the like manner and subject to the like conditions) to revoke or vary the scheme:

Provided that before any scheme involving the amendment or repeal of any local Act of Parliament comes into force it shall be laid before each House of Parliament for a period of not less than fourteen days during which that House is sitting, and, if either House before the expiration of that period presents an address to His Majesty against the scheme or any part thereof, no further proceedings shall be taken thereon without prejudice to the making of any new scheme.