Industrial Development Act 1982

7 Selective financial assistance for industry in assisted areas

(1) For the purposes set out in the following provisions of this section the Secretary of State may, with the consent of the Treasury, provide financial assistance where, in his opinion—

(a) the financial assistance is likely to provide, maintain or safeguard employment in any part of the assisted areas ; and

(b) the undertakings for which the assistance is provided are or will be wholly or mainly in the assisted areas.

(2) The purposes mentioned in subsection (1) above are—

(a) to promote the development or modernisation of an industry;

(b) to promote the efficiency of an industry;

(c) to create, expand or sustain productive capacity in an industry, or in undertakings in an industry;

(d) to promote the reconstruction, reorganisation or conversion of an industry or of undertakings in an industry;

(e) to encourage the growth of, or the proper distribution of undertakings in, an industry ;

(f) to encourage arrangements for ensuring that any contraction of an industry proceeds in an orderly way.

(3) Subject to the following provisions of this section, financial assistance under this section may be given on any terms or conditions, and by any description of investment or lending or guarantee, or by making grants, and may, in particular, be—

(a) investment by acquisition of loan or share capital in any company, including an acquisition effected by the Secretary of State through another company, being a company formed for the purpose of giving financial assistance under this Part of this Act or Part II of the [1972 c. 63.] Industry Act 1972,

(b) investment by the acquisition of any undertaking or of any assets,

(c) a loan, whether secured or unsecured, and whether or not carrying interest, or interest at a commercial rate,

(d) any form of insurance or guarantee to meet any contingency, and in particular to meet default on payment of a loan, or of interest on a loan, or non-fulfilment of a contract.

(4) Financial assistance shall not be given under this section in the way described in subsection (3)(a) above unless the Secretary of State is satisfied that it cannot, or cannot appropriately, be so given in any other way; and the Secretary of State, in giving financial assistance in the way so described, shall not acquire any shares or stock in a company without the consent of that company.

(5) In this section "industry", unless the context otherwise requires, includes any description of commercial activity, and references to an industry include references to any section of an industry.

(6) In this section " the assisted areas " means the development areas, the intermediate areas and Northern Ireland.