Gas Undertakings Act 1932

Gas Undertakings Act 1932

Act of Parliament
Parliament of the United Kingdom
Long title	An act to amend the law with respect to gas undertakings.
Citation	22 & 23 Geo. 5. c. 40
Introduced by	Lord Bridgeman, 15 March 1932 (Lords)
Territorial extent	Great Britain
Dates
Royal assent	12 July 1932
Repealed	1 May 1949
Status: Repealed
Text of statute as originally enacted

The Gas Undertakings Act 1932 (22 & 23 Geo. 5. c. 40) is an act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom which amended the law with respect to gas undertakings (coal-gas manufacturers and suppliers).

Background

The legislation governing the gas industry had prohibited undertakings from co-operating with each other to most efficiently and profitably process and sell byproducts such as coke, tar, benzol and ammonia. ^[1] The proposed legislation enabled undertakers to buy shares in other gas companies to facilitate the marketing and sale of residual products. The Gas Undertakings Act 1932 aimed to address these issues. ^[1]

Gas Undertakings Act 1932

The Gas Undertakings Act 1932 received royal assent on 12 July 1932 Its long title is 'An act to amend the law with respect to gas undertakings.' ^[2]

Provisions

The act comprises five sections ^[2]

• Section 1: Power of undertakers to invest in securities of other companies.
• Section 2: Power of local authorities to borrow for purposes of act.
• Section 3: Application of profits on investments under this act.
• Section 4: Interpretation.
• Section 5: Short title, citation and extent. The act did not extend to Northern Ireland.

Amendments

The Gas Undertakings Act 1932 was repealed by the Gas Act 1948 which nationalised the British gas industry ^[3]

See also

• Oil and gas industry in the United Kingdom

References

1. Hansard, House of Lords, Gas Undertakings Bill, Second Reading 15 March 1932
2. "Gas Undertakings Act 1932, UK legislation" . Retrieved 22 Nov 2025.
3. "Gas Act 1948, UK legislation" . Retrieved 22 Nov 2025.