77Minister may give directions if an authority is surrendered or cancelled or expires

77 Minister may give directions if an authority is surrendered or cancelled or expires

(a) an authority is surrendered or cancelled or expires; or

(b) an area is removed from an authority area as the result of action taken by the Minister under section 75(2).

(2) The Minister may direct the person who held the authority immediately before the surrender, cancellation, expiry or removal to do one or more of the following to the satisfaction of the Minister—

(a) to remove, or cause to be removed, from the relevant area all property brought into that area under the authority, or to make other arrangements with respect to that property;

(b) to provide for the conservation and protection of the natural resources in the relevant area;

(c) to make good any damage to the surface of the land or the subsoil in the relevant area caused by any person engaged or concerned in the operations conducted under the authority;

(d) to give to the Minister any information that the person was obliged to give to the Minister.

(3) A direction must be given in writing and must specify by when it must be complied with.

(4) A person to whom a direction is given must comply with the direction within the time specified in the direction.

(5) Nothing in this section requires the Minister to give a direction to any person.

(6) In this section relevant area means—

(a) if an authority expires or is surrendered or cancelled in its entirety, the area to which the authority applied; and

(b) in any other case, the area to which the authority no longer applies.