Atomic Energy Authority (Weapons Group) Act 1973 (c. 4)

(1) On a day appointed by the Secretary of State by order made by statutory instrument the undertaking of the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority (“the Authority”) shall cease to comprise so much of it as is known as the Weapons Group; and it shall on and after that date, be for the Secretary of State (and not the Authority, except under contract to the Secretary of State, or by his direction or with his approval) to carry on any activities which before that day were activities of the Group and involved the doing of work on explosive nuclear devices. (2) On the appointed day there shall be transferred to the Secretary of State for Defence by virtue of this Act and without further assurance— (a) all such lands and premises as immediately before the appointed day are the property of the Authority and were on 1st November 1972 the property of the Authority and recorded in the Authority’s books as held by the Weapons Group; (b) without prejudice to the foregoing but subject to the following subsection, all such property, rights, liabilities and obligations as immediately before the appointed day belonged to or were incumbent upon the Authority and appertained to the Weapons Group. (3) There are excepted from the transfer effected by subsection (2) above any rights, liabilities or obligations of the Authority under— (a) any contract of employment; (b) any agreement for the rendering by a person of services to the Authority in his capacity as a member of the Authority; or (c) any pension scheme or agreement relating to a pension scheme; and there are also excepted from that transfer the interests, property, rights, liabilities and obligations specified in the Schedule to this Act (patents and other industrial property). Modifications etc. (not altering text) C1 1.4.1973 appointed under s.1(1) by S.I. 1973/463 , art. 2

(1) Every person who, immediately before the appointed day, is an employee of the Authority engaged in the Weapons Group shall on that day cease to be employed by the Authority but may, in pursuance of arrangements made by the Secretary of State in connection with the transfer to him of the Weapons Group, be taken into employment in the civil service of the State; and notwithstanding anything in section 22 of the M1 Redundancy Payments Act 1965 (implied or constructive termination of contract) the operation of this subsection in relation to any person shall not be treated for the purposes of that Act as termination by the Authority of that person’s contract of employment. (2) Nothing in subsection (1) above affects the office of special constable held by any person who, immediately before the appointed day, is a special constable by virtue of section 3 of the M2 Special Constables Act 1923 as applied by Schedule 3 to the M3 Atomic Energy Authority Act 1954, and who as from that day becomes employed in the civil service of the State in pursuance of the arrangements referred to in that subsection; nor shall the subsection affect any duty, power or privilege of such a person in his capacity as a special constable in relation to any premises transferred by virtue of section 1 of this Act; but in relation to such a special constable section 3(2) of the said Act of 1923 (control of constables and power to suspend or terminate their appointments) shall, as from the appointed day, have effect as if any reference to the department on whose nomination he was appointed was a reference to the Secretary of State. (3) A person who— (a) on or after the appointed day ceases to be employed by the Authority (whether under subsection (1) above or otherwise) and as from ceasing to be so employed becomes employed in the civil service of the State in pursuance of the arrangements referred to in subsection (1); and (b) was, immediately before ceasing to be so employed, included in a pension scheme maintained by the Authority or would (had he remained in that employment) have become eligible for inclusion in such a pension scheme on attaining an age or fulfilling a condition specified in the scheme, may continue to be included in the scheme or, as the case may be, retain his eligibility to be included in it, until such time as he becomes subject to a scheme made by the Minister for the Civil Service under section 1 of the M4 Superannuation Act 1972; and the Authority’s pension scheme may continue to apply to any such person notwithstanding that he is no longer an employee of the Authority. Modifications etc. (not altering text) C2 Functions of Minister for the Civil Service now exercisable by Treasury: S.I. 1981/1670 , art. 2(1) ( c ) Marginal Citations M1 1965 c. 62 . M2 1923 c. 11 . M3 1954 c. 32 . M4 1972 c. 11 .