24Requirement to conduct monopoly provider investigation

24 Requirement to conduct monopoly provider investigation

(1)  In this section –

affected Local Government Body, in relation to a proposed investigation into the pricing policies of a monopoly provider in respect of a monopoly service (whether a prescribed monopoly service or non-prescribed monopoly service), means –

(a) that monopoly provider if it is a Local Government Body; or

(b) if that monopoly provider is a single authority, or joint authority, established under section 33 of the Local Government Act 1993 , the Local Government Body or Local Government Bodies that so established the single authority or joint authority;

initial requirement day, in relation to a monopoly provider supplying a monopoly service –

(a) [Section 24 Subsection (1) amended by No. 13 of 2015, s. 16, Applied:01 Jul 2015] means the day specified in the declaration under section 6 declaring that service to be a monopoly service as the day by which the Minister is to require the Regulator to conduct his or her first investigation into the pricing policies of the monopoly provider in respect of that service under this section; or

(b) if the declaration under section 6 declaring that service to be a monopoly service does not specify such a day, means the last day of the period of 3 months after the declaration takes effect.

(2)  On or before the initial requirement day, the Minister is to require the Regulator to conduct an investigation into the pricing policies of a monopoly provider (whether or not specified in Schedule 1 ) in respect of a monopoly service supplied by that monopoly provider.

(3)  At least 11 months before the expiration of a pricing policy order or a pricing policy determination in relation to a monopoly provider specified in Schedule 1 , the Minister is to require the Regulator to conduct an investigation into the pricing policies of that monopoly provider in respect of each prescribed monopoly service supplied by the monopoly provider.