s 16 Delegation of functions by Ministers to permitted authorities
(1) A Minister of the Crown may, to such extent and subject to such conditions as that Minister thinks fit, delegate to a permitted authority any of the Minister's eligible functions. (2) A function is eligible for the purposes of subsection (1) if— (a) it does not consist of a power to make regulations or other instruments of a legislative character or a power to fix fees or charges, and (b) the Minister of the Crown considers that it can appropriately be exercised by the permitted authority. (3) No delegation under subsection (1), and no variation of a delegation under that subsection, may be made without the agreement of the permitted authority. (4) Before delegating a function under subsection (1), the Minister of the Crown must consult such persons as the Minister considers appropriate. (5) A delegation under subsection (1) may be revoked at any time by any Minister of the Crown.