15.—(1) (a) A road authority may declare any weighbridge (whether maintained by them or not, whether within or outside their functional area and whether a road traffic weighbridge or not) to be an appointed weighbridge for the purposes of this Act, and every weighbridge so declared shall be known and is in this Act referred to as an appointed weighbridge.

(b) Any such declaration may be revoked by a subsequent declaration made by the same road authority.

(c) Where a road authority make a declaration under this subsection, they shall give the prescribed notice to the public of the making of the declaration.

(2) A road authority may (and, if required by the Minister, shall) provide on or adjacent to any public road in their charge a weighbridge of such dimensions, power, design and construction as may be approved of by the Minister.

(3) Every road authority owning a weighbridge erected under an enactment repealed by the repealed Act, under the repealed Act or under this section shall maintain the weighbridge in good condition and proper order and shall make the weighbridge available for the weighing of vehicles and their loads at all reasonable times.

(4) A weighbridge maintained under subsection (3) of this section shall be known and is in this Act referred to as a road traffic weighbridge.

(5) The road authority by whom a road traffic weighbridge is maintained may charge for weighings on the weighbridge (except weighings requisitioned under this Act by a member of the Garda Síochána or an officer of a road authority F35[or an officer of the Minister]) such fees as they may fix from time to time.

(6) A road authority may contribute, on such conditions as they think fit, to the cost of the provision, maintenance or operation of an appointed weighbridge other than a road traffic weighbridge provided by themselves.

(7) (a) A road authority may acquire and operate a weighbridgewhich is transportable and may make it available for use by members of the Garda Síochána F35[or an officer of the Minister].

(b) References in this Act to a mobile weighbridge are to a weighbridge under this subsection.