Section 4 Qualification of engineers.F1

There shall be a panel of civil engineers for the purposes of this Act, or such number of different panels for different purposes of this Act or for different classes of reservoir as, after consultation, the Secretary of State may from time to time determine; and any reference in this Act to a qualified civil engineer is a reference to a civil engineer who is a member of the panel constituted under this section or, if there are for the time being more than one such panel, a member of the appropriate panel.

Any civil engineer may apply in the prescribed manner to be placed on any panel; and if the application is accompanied by the prescribed fee (if any), and the Secretary of State is satisfied after consultation that the applicant is qualified and fit to be placed on that panel, the Secretary of State shall appoint him to be a member of the panel.

Any appointment under subsection (2) above shall be for a term of five years; but an engineer whose appointment expires may be re-appointed under that subsection for a further term.

Any appointment to a panel shall also lapse on the abolition or alteration of that panel; but—

The Secretary of State may remove an engineer from any panel, or direct that he shall no longer be qualified to act by virtue of subsection (4)(b) above, if the Secretary of State is satisfied after consultation that the engineer is not fit to remain on the panel or not fit so to act.

References in this section to consultation by the Secretary of State are references to consultation with the President of the Institution of Civil Engineers or, if that institution appoint a committee for the relevant purpose, with that committee.

The Secretary of State may reimburse to the Institution of Civil Engineers any expenses incurred by the Institution for purposes of this section.

Any expenses of the Secretary of State under this section shall be defrayed out of money provided by Parliament; and any fees received by the Secretary of State under subsection (2) above shall be paid into the Consolidated Fund.

If at any time the Institution of Civil Engineers ceases to exist references in this section to that institution or its President shall have effect as references to the prescribed institution or head of the prescribed institution.

The Secretary of State and the Welsh Ministers acting jointly may establish one or more panels of engineers under this section (“joint panels”).

For the purposes of anything done in relation to a joint panel, a reference in this section to the Secretary of State is a reference to the Secretary of State and the Welsh Ministers acting jointly.