Moved by
Baroness Verma
94B: After Schedule 5, insert the following new Schedule—
Schedule
The licensing levy
The amount of the levy
1 Regulations may provide for the licensing levy payable in respect of a charging period to increase or decrease over that period.
Basis of amount
2 Regulations may provide for an amount of licensing levy payable by a licence holder to be calculated by reference to the size of an area to which an energy industry licence held by that person relates.
Amounts payable by different categories of licence holders
3 Regulations may provide for different categories of licence holders to pay—
(a) different amounts of licensing levy, or
(b) amounts of licensing levy calculated, set or determined in different ways.
Exemptions
4 Regulations may provide for a category of licence holder to be exempt from payment of the licensing levy.
Unpaid levy
5 (1) Regulations may provide for interest (at a rate specified in, or determined under, the regulations) to be charged in respect of unpaid amounts of licensing levy.
(2) Regulations may provide for unpaid amounts of licensing levy (together with any interest charged) to be recoverable as a civil debt.
Conferral of functions
6 Regulations may confer a function (including a function involving the exercise of a discretion) on—
(a) the Secretary of State, or
(b) any other person, apart from the Scottish Ministers or the Welsh Ministers.
Categories of licence holders
7 (1) Regulations (including regulations of the kinds mentioned in paragraphs 3 and 4) may provide for a category of licence holder to consist of persons who hold a kind of energy industry licence specified in the regulations.
(2) The regulations may (in particular) specify any of the following kinds of energy industry licence—
(a) licences granted under a particular enactment;
(b) licences of a particular description granted under a particular enactment;
(c) licences, or licences of a particular description (including a description falling within paragraph (a) or (b)), granted—
(i) before a particular time,
(ii) after a particular time, or
(iii) during a particular period.
Interpretation
8 In this Schedule—
“energy industry licence” means a licence falling within section (Levy on holders of certain energy licences)(1);
“licence holder” means a person who holds an energy industry licence (whether the person was granted it or has, after its grant, acquired it by assignment or other means);
“regulations” means regulations under section (Levy on holders of certain energy licences)(1).”