Petroleum (Production) Act (Northern Ireland) 1964 facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Petroleum (Production) Act (Northern Ireland) 1964

Act of Parliament
Parliament of Northern Ireland
Long title	An Act to vest in the Ministry of Commerce the property in undeveloped petroleum in Northern Ireland; to make provision with respect to searching and boring for and getting petroleum; and for purposes connected with the matters aforesaid
Citation	1964 chapter 28
Territorial extent	Northern Ireland
Dates
Royal assent	13 October 1964
Commencement	At Royal Assent
Other legislation
Amends	Minerals (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act (Northern Ireland) 1959
Amended by	Mineral Development Act (Northern Ireland) 1969, Mines Act (Northern Ireland) 1969
Status: Amended

The Petroleum (Production) Act (Northern Ireland) 1964 was an important law passed in Northern Ireland in 1964. This law gave the government, specifically the Northern Ireland Ministry of Commerce, control over oil and gas that hadn't been found or used yet. It also created rules for how people could look for and take out oil and gas from the ground.

Why This Law Was Needed

Before this law, other rules gave control of land and minerals to a different part of the government. This was the Ministry of Finance.

By the early 1960s, finding and using oil and gas was becoming a real possibility. This was happening in other parts of the United Kingdom too. It made sense for a different government department to handle this new industry. The Ministry of Commerce was chosen to manage oil and gas exploration. This new law made sure they had the power to do so.

What the 1964 Petroleum Act Did

The Petroleum (Production) Act (Northern Ireland) 1964 became an official law on 13 October 1964. This is called gaining Royal Assent.

The main goal of the law was to give the Ministry of Commerce ownership of oil and gas that was still in the ground in Northern Ireland. It also set up rules for finding and taking out this oil and gas.

Key Parts of the Law

This law had 20 different sections. Here are some of the most important ones:

• Section 1: This part said that any oil and gas not yet developed in Northern Ireland now belonged to the Ministry of Commerce.
• Section 2: This section explained how the government could give out special permits, called licences, to companies. These licences allowed companies to search for and take out oil and gas.
• Section 4: This section talked about how people would be paid if their land was affected by oil and gas work. This is called compensation.
• Section 13: This part gave the government the power to make more detailed rules about how the law would work.
• Section 18: This section simply stated the short name of the law.

Important Note: The law defined "strata in Northern Ireland" (the layers of rock underground) to include areas under the waters near Northern Ireland. However, it did not include areas under the wider sea that belongs to the United Kingdom.

How the Law Changed Over Time

Laws can be updated or changed as time goes on. The 1964 Act was changed a few times:

• Some parts of the 1964 Act were removed by the Mineral Development Act (Northern Ireland) 1969.
• New sections were added to the 1964 Act by the same 1969 Act. These new sections dealt with payments and claims for compensation.
• Another part of the 1964 Act was removed by the Mines Act (Northern Ireland) 1969.

Today, the power to give out licences for finding and taking out oil and gas in Northern Ireland is managed by the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment (DETI).

See also

• Petroleum Act