Industrial Development Act 1982

General assistance for industry

11 Advice for businesses

(1) The Secretary of State may make provision for the giving of advice (whether free of charge or otherwise) to persons carrying on or proposing to carry on a business.

(2) Not later than six months after the end of any financial year in which this power is used the Secretary of State shall prepare and lay before Parliament a report on the exercise during the year of his powers under this section.

(3) In the application of this section to a financial year beginning before the commencement of this Act, the reference in subsection (2) above to the Secretary of State's powers under this section shall include a reference to his powers under section 18 of the [1980 c. 33.] Industry Act 1980.

12 Powers to promote careers in industry etc.

(1) The Secretary of State may make such grants or loans to any body as he considers appropriate for the purpose of assisting in—

(a) the promotion of the practice of engineering ;

(b) the encouragement and improvement of links between industry, or any part of industry, and bodies or individuals concerned with education;

(c) the encouragement of young persons and others to take up careers in industry, or in any part of industry, and to pursue appropriate educational courses.

(2) Any grants under this section may be made on such conditions, and any loans under this section may be made at such rates of interest, as the Secretary of State may with the approval of the Treasury determine.

(3) The Secretary of State shall not determine a rate of interest in respect of a loan under this section which is lower than the lowest rate for the time being determined by the Treasury under section 5 of the [1968 c. 13.] National Loans Act 1968 in respect of comparable loans out of the National Loans Fund.

(4) The Secretary of State may, with the approval of the Treasury, guarantee obligations (arising out of loans) incurred by any body which falls within subsection (5) below and which in his opinion is concerned with promoting the practice of engineering.

(5) A body falls within this subsection if—

(a) it is established by Royal Charter ; and

(b) its members are for the time being appointed by the Secretary of State.

13 Improvement of basic services

(1) Where it appears to the Minister in charge of any government department that adequate provision has not been made for the needs of any development area or intermediate area in respect of a basic service for which the department is responsible, and that it is expedient with a view to contributing to the development of industry in that area that the service should be improved, he may with the consent of the Treasury make grants or loans towards the cost of improving it to such persons and in such manner as appear to him appropriate.

(2) In this section " basic service " means the provision of facilities for transport (whether by road, rail, water or air) or of power, lighting, heating, water, or sewerage, and sewage disposal facilities, or any other service or facility on which the development of the area in question, and in particular of industrial undertakings therein, depends.

(3) The powers conferred by this section are in addition to any other powers of a Minister of the Crown to make grants or loans.

14 Provision of premises and sites

(1) The Secretary of State shall have power, in order to provide or facilitate the provision of premises in any development area or intermediate area for occupation by undertakings carried on or to be carried on there or for otherwise meeting the requirements of such undertakings (including requirements arising from the needs of persons employed or to be employed therein)—

(a) to acquire land by agreement or, if so authorised, compulsorily;

(b) to erect buildings and carry out works on land belonging to the Secretary of State ;

(c) by agreement with the persons interested in any other land, to erect buildings and carry out works on the land on such terms (including terms as to repayment of expenditure incurred by the Secretary of State) as may be specified in the agreement.

(2) The Secretary of State shall not acquire under subsection (1) above any buildings other than industrial buildings (as defined in section 66 of the [1971 c. 78.] Town and Country Planning Act 1971) except for redevelopment or as part of a larger property which in the opinion of the Secretary of State would be incomplete without them.

(3) The Secretary of State may modernise, adapt or reconstruct any buildings or other works on land acquired by him under this section or the [1972 c. 5.] Local Employment Act 1972 and, where the execution of that work will interrupt the use of the buildings or works by any undertaking, acquire other land by agreement, and erect buildings and carry out works on that other land, or on land previously acquired by the Secretary of State as aforesaid, for the purpose of providing premises for the occupation of that undertaking or of otherwise meeting its requirements.

(4) Where land acquired by the Secretary of State under this section or the Local Employment Act 1972 is situated in a locality which is not a development area or intermediate area, the Secretary of State may exercise in relation to the land the following powers, that is to say—

(a) power to preserve and maintain the land and any buildings or works on it, and to erect buildings and carry out works on it;

(b) where there are buildings on the land, power to acquire by agreement other land contiguous or adjacent to it for the purpose of erecting thereon extensions to those buildings or of erecting thereon other buildings to be used with the first-mentioned buildings as part of a single undertaking;

(c) power to provide means of access, services and other facilities for meeting the requirements of undertakings carried on, or to be carried on, on the land (including requirements arising from the needs of persons employed or to be employed therein).

(5) The [1981 c. 67.] Acquisition of Land Act 1981 shall apply in relation to the compulsory purchase of land by the Secretary of State under this section ; but, notwithstanding anything in this section, where at the time of publication in accordance with the provisions of that Act of notice of the preparation of a draft of a compulsory purchase order—

(a) land is in use for the purposes of any undertaking, and

(b) that undertaking provides employment which is substantial having regard to the extent of the land used for its purposes and the nature of the undertaking,

the Secretary of State shall not be authorised to acquire compulsorily the interest of the person carrying on the undertaking.

(6) Any person duly authorised in writing by the Secretary of State may, at any reasonable time, enter any land for the purpose of surveying it in connection with the exercise of the Secretary of State's powers under this section to acquire land; and subsection (9) of section 280 and subsections (1) to (4) and (6) of section 281 of the [1971 c. 78.] Town and Country Planning Act 1971 (which contain supplemental provision with respect to powers of entry) shall apply in relation to this subsection as they apply in relation to the said section 280.