Citation and interpretation

1.-(1) This Order may be cited as the Greater London Authority Act 1999 (Commencement No. 6 and Preliminary Arrangements for the Metropolitan Police Authority) Order 2000, and shall come into force on 10th May 2000.

(2) In this Order-

(a)"the 1999 Act" means the Greater London Authority Act 1999;

(b)"the 1996 Act" means the Police Act 1996(2); and

(c)"the operative date" means the date on which appointments to the Metropolitan Police Authority are first made under paragraph 3(3) of Schedule 2A to the 1996 Act (appointment of independent members)(3).

Preliminary financial arrangements

2.-(1) Arrangements in relation to the Metropolitan Police Authority as to any matter specified in the Schedule to this Order made before 3rd July 2000 by the chief finance officer shall have effect on and after that date as if made by that Authority until replaced or altered by that Authority.

(2) In this article "chief finance officer" means the person who is, by virtue of his appointment under section 407 of the 1999 Act, for the time being the chief finance officer of the Metropolitan Police Authority.

Preliminary standing orders

3.-(1) Standing orders for the first meeting of the Metropolitan Police Authority shall be prepared by the clerk to that Authority.

(2) The standing orders prepared in accordance with paragraph (1) shall provide for:

(a)giving notice of the meeting;

(b)preparation of the agenda for the meeting;

(c)election of a chairman of the Metropolitan Police Authority;

(d)declaration of the result of that election;

(e)the meeting to be chaired by the clerk to that Authority until that result has been declared; and

(f)preparation of minutes of the meeting.

(3) Standing orders for the regulation of any business of the Metropolitan Police Authority which, by reason of the urgency of that business, the clerk to that Authority considers it to be necessary or expedient to transact on or before the date of the first meeting of that Authority shall be prepared by the clerk to that Authority.

(4) In this article "the clerk to that Authority" means the person who is, by virtue of his appointment under section 407 of the 1999 Act, for the time being clerk to the Metropolitan Police Authority.

Commencement

4.-(1) Section 127 of the 1999 Act(4) in its application to the Metropolitan Police Authority shall come into force on the operative date for the purposes only of articles 5 and 6 below.

(2) The following provisions of the 1999 Act, in so far as they are not already in force, shall come into force on the operative date for the purposes only of articles 5 and 6 below and for all other purposes shall come into force on 3rd July 2000:

(a)section 310(5);

(b)Schedule 26(6); and

(c)paragraphs 62, 75 and 76 of Schedule 27.

First meeting of the Metropolitan Police Authority

5.-(1) The first meeting of the Metropolitan Police Authority may take place at any time after the operative date.

(2) For the purposes of paragraph 6(1) of Schedule 2A to the 1996 Act and notwithstanding paragraph 6A of Schedule 12 to the Local Government Act 1972(7) the first meeting of the Metropolitan Police Authority shall be regarded as that Authority's annual meeting.

(3) If the first meeting takes place before 3rd July 2000, the provisions of article 6 below shall apply.

First meeting held before 3rd July 2000

6.-(1) Arrangements shall be made by the clerk to the Metropolitan Police Authority for the public and the press to be admitted to the meeting.

(2) No business shall be transacted at the meeting unless at least one quarter of the whole number of members of the Metropolitan Police Authority are present.

(3) Arrangements may be made by the clerk to the Metropolitan Police Authority for the exclusion of a member of that Authority from the meeting while any contract, proposed contract, or other matter in which he has a pecuniary interest, direct or indirect, is under consideration.

(4) Arrangements may be made at the meeting as to the matters specified in the Schedule to this Order.

(5) In addition to the matters specified in the Schedule to this Order the following powers may be exercised at the first meeting:

(a)the designation of a monitoring officer for the Metropolitan Police Authority in accordance with section 5(1) of the Local Government and Housing Act 1989(8);

(b)the appointment of a clerk to the Metropolitan Police Authority in accordance with section 16 of the 1996 Act(9);

(c)the appointment of a chief finance officer to the Metropolitan Police Authority in accordance with section 127(2) of the 1999 Act;

(d)the making of standing orders in accordance with paragraph 42 of Schedule 12 to the Local Government Act 1972;

(e)the making of delegations in accordance with section 101 of the Local Government Act 1972.

(6) Arrangements made or powers exercised in pursuance of this article shall be regarded as being made or exercised by the Metropolitan Police Authority.

(7) In paragraphs (1) and (3) of this article "the clerk to the Metropolitan Police Authority" means the person who is, by virtue of his appointment under section 407 of the 1999 Act, for the time being the clerk to that Authority.

Payment of expenses and allowances

7. The Metropolitan Police Authority may make payments by way of reimbursement of expenses and allowances to members in accordance with paragraph 20 of Schedule 2A to the 1996 Act from the date of their appointment.

Term of appointment

8. In determining the period of a term of years for the purposes of paragraph 11 of Schedule 2A to the 1996 Act (term of appointment), any period prior to 3rd July 2000 shall be disregarded.

Articles 2 and 6

SCHEDULEMATTERS FOR WHICH THE CHIEF FINANCE OFFICER OR FIRST MEETING MAY MAKE PRELIMINARY ARRANGEMENTS

1. The allocation and delegation of financial functions to persons appointed for the purposes of the Metropolitan Police Authority-

(a)in pursuance of section 407 of the 1999 Act, or

(b)on or after the operative date.

2. Access to records of the Metropolitan Police Authority.

3. The preparation of capital and revenue budgets for the Metropolitan Police Authority and arrangements for monitoring and control of budgeted expenditure.

4. The treatment of any income for the time being receivable for the purposes of any functions of the Metropolitan Police Authority.

5. Arrangements for the Metropolitan Police Authority's bank accounts.

6. Arrangements for ordering goods and services, and for making payment accordingly.

7. Arrangements for securing tenders for contracts.

8. The treatment of any payments to members of the Metropolitan Police Authority's staff, and of any deductions from such payments.

9. The handling of, and recording of, physical assets held for the purposes of the Metropolitan Police Authority and the disposal of such assets or other assets.

10. The taking of decisions to write off debts.

11. Day to day management, accounting and investment of surplus funds of the Metropolitan Police Authority.

12. Arrangements for internal audit.

13. The treatment of financial irregularities.

14. The payment of expenses and allowances to members.

Explanatory Note

(This note is not part of the Order)

The Metropolitan Police Authority, a functional body under the Greater London Authority Act 1999, will assume its functions on 3rd July 2000.

Article 2 of this Order provides for arrangements made in respect of the matters specified in the Schedule by the person appointed before that date by the Secretary of State under section 407 of the Act as chief finance officer to have effect until replaced or altered by the Metropolitan Police Authority.

Article 3 makes provision for the arrangements for and conduct of the first meeting of the Authority to be in accordance with standing orders made by the person appointed by the Secretary of State as clerk to the Metropolitan Police Authority, and for the preparation by him of Standing Orders relating to urgent business.

Article 4 commences various provisions as from the date when the final appointments to the Metropolitan Police Authority are made for the purposes of arrangements and appointments which may be made at a first meeting of that Authority. For other purposes, they are commenced from 3rd July 2000.

Article 5 makes provision as to the first meeting and article 6 makes provision as to the arrangements that can be made and powers that can be exercised at a meeting held before 3rd July 2000.

Article 7 provides for the payment of expenses and allowances.

Article 8 provides for any period before 3rd July 2000 to be disregarded in calculating the term of appointment of members.

Note as to Earlier Commencement Orders

(This note is not part of the Order)

The following provisions of the Greater London Authority Act 1999 have been brought into force by commencement order made before the date of this Order: