Subject to subsection (6) below, it shall be the Authority which shall have the power to grant a licence under this Part.
An application for a licence under this Part may be made by any person who has acquired, or is proposing to acquire, (whether from the Authority or some other person)—
as, apart from the need for a licence, would entitle him to carry on the coal-mining operations to which the application relates.
Where any area of Great Britain, of the territorial sea adjacent to Great Britain or of the continental shelf is one—
the Authority may issue such specific or general invitations as it thinks fit for applications or, as the case may be, further applications to be made in respect of that area for the grant of licences under this Part.
An applicant for a licence under this Part shall pay to the Authority such fee (if any) in respect of the Authority's handling of that application as, having regard to—
the Authority may reasonably require.
Without prejudice to the Authority's power (subject to its duties under sections 2 to 4 above) to take into account all such factors as it thinks fit in determining whether, and subject to what conditions, to grant a licence under this Part, the factors that may be taken into account shall include, in particular, the terms on which the applicant, or any other applicant with respect to the same area, is offering to acquire from the Authority any such interests or rights as are mentioned in subsection (2) above.
Where—
this Act shall have effect as if the Secretary of State, as well as the Authority, was entitled, at any time before the coming into force of the scheme, to exercise the Authority's power to grant a licence to that person authorising the carrying on of those operations and, for that purpose, was entitled to act on the Authority's behalf in the exercise of any of its other powers.