Agriculture (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1963

9 Grants for promotion of efficient marketing

(1) The appropriate Minister may by a scheme made with the approval of the Treasury make provision for the payment of grants towards the cost of carrying out proposals for promoting the efficient marketing of agricultural or horticultural produce, for carrying out research connected therewith, for making the result of such research available to producers of such produce, or for the formation of bodies carrying on agricultural or horticultural producers' marketing businesses.

(2) A scheme under this section shall restrict the payment of grants to cases where the proposals are approved by the appropriate Minister before being carried out and may restrict that approval, subject to any exceptions provided by the scheme, to cases where the proposals are supported by persons appearing to the appropriate Minister to represent producers of agricultural or horticultural produce.

(3) A scheme under this section may provide for the recovery of grants made thereunder in any case where it appears to the appropriate Minister that the carrying out of an approved proposal has been unreasonably delayed or is unlikely to be completed or that any approved proposal has been badly carried out or that any condition subject to which approval was given has not been complied with.

(4) Where a scheme under this section provides for the recovery of grants made thereunder it shall make provision for securing that before any person is required to repay any grant—

(a) he is given notice in writing stating the grounds on which it is proposed to recover the grant and is given an opportunity of being heard by a person appointed by the appropriate Minister for that purpose ; and

(b) the appropriate Minister will consider the report of the person so appointed.

(5) Subject to the next following subsection, no approval under this section shall be given after the end of March 1965.

(6) The Ministers may from time to time by order made by statutory instrument extend the period during which such approvals may be given, but no such extension shall be for more than three years.

(7) Where a scheme under this section requires any proposals to be supported as mentioned in subsection (2) of this section the appropriate Minister may make contributions to the expenses incurred in connection with the examination of proposals submitted for that support.

(8) Grants made in pursuance of a scheme under this section, so much of the expenses of administering the scheme as may be incurred on behalf of the appropriate Minister by the persons mentioned in subsection (2) of this section, and contributions made under subsection (7) thereof, shall be treated as production grants for the purposes of section 3 of the Agriculture Act 1957.

(9) The power to make a scheme under this section shall be exercisable by statutory instrument and includes power to vary or revoke the scheme by a subsequent scheme.

(10) A statutory instrument containing such a scheme shall be subject to annulment in pursuance of a resolution of either House of Parliament; and an order under subsection (6) of this section shall be of no effect unless it is approved by a resolution of each House of Parliament.