The Water Act 2014 Order 2015
Enters into force: 18 December 2015; 1 January 2016
Water - England and Wales
The Water Act 2014 (Commencement No. 5 and Transitional Provisions) Order 2015 brings into force various sections of the Water Act 2014 in England and Wales.
This commencement order brings into force provisions which allow the Secretary of State to make regulations that would allow the Water Services Regulation Authority (Ofwat) and the Water Industry Commission for Scotland to enable a single application for a water or a sewerage licence to be made.
Amendments have also been made to the special merger provisions in the Water Industry Act 1991.
This new special merger regime allows the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) to determine whether or not to make a merger reference. It also enables the CMA to accept undertakings from the parties to the merger instead of making a merger reference.
Provisions have also been brought into force relating to the authorisations of water supply licences and sewerage licences.