Statute Details
- Title: Gas (Specified Date for purposes of Section 6(1)) Order
- Act Code: GA2001-OR3
- Legislative Type: Subsidiary Legislation (SL)
- Authorising Act: Gas Act (Chapter 116A), section 6(1)
- Commencement / Key Dates: 11 February 2008 (gazetted); revised edition effective 1 June 2009
- Current Version Status: Current version as at 27 March 2026 (per the platform extract)
- Primary Provisions: Section 1 (Citation); Section 2 (Specified date)
- Regulatory Instrument Reference: G.N. No. S 63/2008
- Specified Date Set by the Order: 14 February 2008
- Sections of the Gas Act Affected: Section 6(1)(c), (d) and (g)
What Is This Legislation About?
The Gas (Specified Date for purposes of Section 6(1)) Order is a short but legally significant subsidiary instrument made under the Gas Act (Chapter 116A). In plain language, it does not create a new regulatory regime by itself. Instead, it “turns on” or anchors certain legal consequences in the Gas Act by designating a particular calendar date for specific purposes.
Under the Gas Act, section 6(1) contains multiple sub-paragraphs (including (c), (d) and (g)) that likely operate by reference to a “specified date”. Where the Act leaves the exact date to be determined by an order, the order provides certainty and uniformity: regulated parties, enforcement agencies, and courts can identify when the relevant statutory effects begin or apply.
Accordingly, the practical function of this Order is to specify that, for the purposes of section 6(1)(c), (d) and (g) of the Gas Act, the relevant “specified date” is 14 February 2008. This matters because many compliance obligations, licensing/approval triggers, transitional arrangements, or legal classifications in regulatory statutes depend on dates. Without a specified date, the statutory provisions could be ambiguous or difficult to apply consistently.
What Are the Key Provisions?
Section 1 (Citation) provides the formal name by which the Order may be cited. This is standard drafting: it helps lawyers, regulators, and parties refer to the instrument in correspondence, submissions, and legal documents.
Section 2 (Specified date) is the substantive provision. It states that, for the purposes of section 6(1)(c), (d) and (g) of the Gas Act, the “specified date” shall be 14th February 2008. The Order therefore performs a “date-setting” role: it supplies the missing temporal element required by the Gas Act.
Although the extract does not reproduce the text of section 6(1) of the Gas Act, the legal drafting pattern indicates that section 6(1) contains multiple categories or conditions, and that certain of those categories are triggered or interpreted by reference to a specified date. By selecting 14 February 2008, the Order fixes the point in time relevant to those sub-paragraphs.
From a practitioner’s perspective, the key legal work is to connect the specified date to the operative language in section 6(1)(c), (d) and (g). In practice, this often affects questions such as: whether a person’s status is determined as at that date; whether an obligation applies to activities carried out before or after that date; whether a transitional or deeming provision applies; and how compliance timelines are calculated. The Order’s narrow scope (only one operative section) means its impact is concentrated: it is the date that matters, not the creation of new duties.
How Is This Legislation Structured?
This subsidiary legislation is extremely concise and consists of:
(a) Section 1: Citation provision.
(b) Section 2: The specified-date provision, which designates 14 February 2008 for the purposes of section 6(1)(c), (d) and (g) of the Gas Act.
There are no additional parts, schedules, or detailed regulatory rules in the extract. The structure reflects the instrument’s function as a targeted “enabling/date order” rather than a comprehensive regulatory code.
Who Does This Legislation Apply To?
The Order applies to persons and activities that fall within the scope of the Gas Act provisions it references—namely, the legal consequences tied to section 6(1)(c), (d) and (g). While the Order itself does not name categories of regulated persons, the Gas Act typically governs matters such as gas supply, gas services, licensing/authorisation, safety and operational controls, and related regulatory compliance.
In practical terms, the Order will be relevant to regulated entities and their advisers whenever they must determine how section 6(1)(c), (d) and (g) applies in time. This includes situations where a party must identify whether a particular status or obligation is assessed as at 14 February 2008, or whether actions taken around that period fall within or outside the relevant statutory effects.
Why Is This Legislation Important?
Even though the Order is short, it can be crucial in disputes and compliance work because regulatory statutes often hinge on dates. A specified date can determine whether a legal regime applies to a particular person or transaction, whether a transitional period has begun or ended, and how statutory interpretation should be applied. For lawyers, this can affect advice on risk, timing of compliance steps, and the defensibility of positions taken during regulatory transitions.
From an enforcement perspective, the Order provides clarity for regulators. Without a specified date, enforcement could be challenged on the basis that the statutory trigger is indeterminate. By fixing the date, the Order supports consistent application of section 6(1)(c), (d) and (g) across regulated parties and over time.
For practitioners advising regulated businesses, the most important practical step is to read the Gas Act section 6(1) sub-paragraphs (c), (d) and (g) in full and map the “specified date” to the operative language. The Order’s value lies in that mapping: it tells you what date the law uses when it refers to “the specified date” for those sub-paragraphs. In compliance checklists, legal opinions, and submissions to regulators, this can be the difference between a correct and an incorrect legal conclusion.
Related Legislation
- Gas Act (Chapter 116A), in particular section 6(1)(c), (d) and (g)
Source Documents
This article provides an overview of the Gas (Specified Date for purposes of Section 6(1)) Order for legal research and educational purposes. It does not constitute legal advice. Readers should consult the official text for authoritative provisions.