(1)The Secretary of State may approve proposals (hereafter in this Part of this Act referred to as " improvement proposals ") submitted to him by a local authority or a development corporation for—
(a)the provision of dwellings by the local authority or development corporation by means of the conversion of houses or other buildings ;
(b)the improvement of dwellings by the local authority or development corporation;
and may, subject to and in accordance with the following provisions of this Part of this Act, make to the local authority or development corporation Exchequer contributions towards—
(i)the cost of the works of conversion or improvement required for carrying out the improvement proposals, and
(ii)any expense incurred by the local authority or development corporation in acquiring interests in land for the purpose of giving effect to the improvement proposals.
(2)Before approving any improvement proposals the Secretary of State shall satisfy himself, as respects dwellings to be provided in accordance with the improvement proposals, that the dwellings will provide satisfactory housing accommodation for a period of not less than thirty years from the completion of the works necessary for the conversion of the buildings in question, and, as respects dwellings to be improved in accordance with the improvement proposals, that the dwellings as so improved will provide such accommodation for a period of not less than thirty years from the completion of the improvements:
Provided that if in relation to all or any of the said dwellings the Secretary of State is of opinion that the said period is likely to be less than thirty years, he may, notwithstanding that fact, approve the improvement proposals if he considers it expedient in all the circumstances to do so and if he is satisfied that the said period is likely to be more than ten years.
(3)The Secretary of State shall also satisfy himself that all dwellings to be provided or improved in accordance with any improvement proposals will conform with such requirements with respect to their construction and physical condition, and the provision of services and amenities, as may be specified for the purposes of this section by the Secretary of State :
Provided that if in relation to all or any of the said dwellings the Secretary of State is not satisfied that the dwellings or dwelling will conform with a particular requirement so specified, he may, notwithstanding that fact, approve the improvement proposals if he is satisfied that, in all the circumstances of the case, conformity with that requirement would not be practicable at a reasonable expense.
(4)No improvement proposals shall be approved by the Secretary of State under section 105 of the [1950 c. 34.] Housing (Scotland) Act 1950 after the commencement of this Act, and any improvement proposals approved by, or submitted to, the Secretary of State under that section on or after 16th August 1964 shall be deemed to have been approved or submitted under this section.
(5)A dwelling which has been provided or improved in giving effect to approved improvement proposals shall not, by reason only of such provision or improvement, be deemed to be a new house within the meaning of any local Act notwithstanding anything contained in such Act.
(1)An Exchequer contribution under section 13 of this Act shall be a sum equal to three-eighths of the annual loan charges referable to an amount determined in accordance with subsections (2) and (3) of this section, payable for each year of a period of twenty financial years beginning with the year in which the carrying out of the improvement proposals was completed or for each year of such period, not exceeding sixty financial years beginning as aforesaid, as may be determined by the Secretary of State.
(2)The said amount shall be determined by the Secretary of State when approving the improvement proposals and shall, subject to subsection (3) of this section, be the amount appearing to him to be the aggregate of—
(a)the cost likely to be incurred by the local authority or development corporation in carrying out the works, and
(b)any expense likely to be incurred by the local authority or development corporation in acquiring interests in land for the purpose of giving effect to the improvement proposals.
(3)The amount so determined shall not exceed fourteen hundred pounds, or such other amount as may be specified by order of the Secretary of State, for each dwelling provided or improved by the works, unless the Secretary of State is satisfied in any particular case that in all the circumstances of the case there is good reason for determining a higher amount.
(4)The Secretary of State may by order reduce, as respects improvement proposals approved after such date as may be specified in the order, the proportion of the said annual loan charges, but not below one-third.
(5)For the purposes of this section the annual loan charges referable to any amount shall be the annual sum which, in the opinion of the Secretary of State, would fall to be provided by a local authority or, as the case may be, a development corporation for the payment of interest on, and the repayment of, a loan of that amount repayable over the period of twenty years or, in a case where the Secretary of State has determined a longer period under subsection (1) of this section, that longer period.
(6)The power to make orders under this section shall be exercisable by statutory instrument, and—
(a)a statutory instrument containing an order under subsection (3) of this section shall be subject to annulment in pursuance of a resolution of either House of Parliament ; and
(b)an order under subsection (4) of this section—
(i)shall not be made unless a draft thereof has been approved by a resolution of the Commons House of Parliament;
(ii)shall not specify a date earlier than the date of the laying of the draft;
and before laying such a draft the Secretary of State shall consult with such associations of local authorities as appear to him to be concerned.
(1)It shall be the duty of every local authority, within three months or such other period as the Secretary of State may specify after receipt by them of a notice by the Secretary of State requiring them so to do, to prepare and submit to him such particulars as may be specified in the notice of houses and other buildings to be included in improvement proposals.
(2)A notice given under subsection (1) of this section may relate to the whole or to one or more parts of the local authority's district.
(3)It shall be the duty of a local authority by whom particulars have been submitted in pursuance of a notice given under subsection (1) of this section to prepare and submit to the Secretary of State, within three months after being required by him so to do, improvement proposals relating to any or all of the houses or other buildings specified in the said notice.
(1)Where arrangements are made under section 154 of the principal Act by the Secretary of State with a housing association, the Secretary of State shall make to the housing association Exchequer contributions towards—
(a)the cost of the works of conversion or improvement required for carrying out the arrangements, and
(b)any expense incurred by the housing association in acquiring interests in land for the purpose of giving effect to the arrangements ;
and the provisions of section 14 of this Act shall apply in relation to such Exchequer contributions as they apply in relation to Exchequer contributions under section 13 of this Act; and for the purposes of such application the said section 14 shall have effect—
(i)as if for the reference to an Exchequer contribution under section 13 of this Act there were substituted a reference to an Exchequer contribution under this section;
(ii)as if for the references to the approval of improvement proposals by the Secretary of State there were substituted references to the making of arrangements by the Secretary of State with a housing association ;
(iii)as if for the references to a local authority or a development corporation there were substituted references to a housing association ;
(iv)subject to any other necessary modifications.
(2)This section shall have effect in relation to arrangements made by the Secretary of State with a housing association on or after 16th August 1964, and subsections (2) to (5) of section 14 of the [1962 c. 28.] Housing (Scotland) Act 1962 shall continue to have effect only in relation to arrangements so made before that date.
(1)Where arrangements are made under section 155 of the principal Act (including that section as extended by section 159 of the principal Act) by a local authority with a development corporation or a housing association, the Secretary of State shall make to the authority Exchequer contributions towards—
(a)the cost of the works of conversion or improvement required for carrying out the arrangements, and
(b)any expense incurred by the development corporation or housing association in acquiring interests in land for the purpose of giving effect to the arrangements ;
and the provisions of section 14 of this Act shall apply in relation to such Exchequer contributions as they apply in relation to Exchequer, contributions under section 13 of this Act; and for the purposes of such application the said section 14 shall have effect—
(i)as if for the reference to an Exchequer contribution under section 13 of this Act there were substituted a reference to an Exchequer contribution under this section;
(ii)as if for the references to the approval of improvement proposals by the Secretary of State there were substituted references to the approval by the Secretary of State of arrangements made by a local authority with a development corporation or a housing association;
(iii)as if for the references to cost or expense likely to be incurred by a local authority or a development corporation there were substituted references to cost or expense likely to be incurred by a development corporation or a housing association ;
(iv)subject to any other necessary modifications.
(2)Where in connection with arrangements made by a local authority with a development corporation or a housing association any sum is payable to the authority by the Secretary of State annually for any period by way of an Exchequer contribution under this section, the authority shall pay to the development corporation or housing association, as the case may be, for that period annual grants each of an amount not less than the said sum.
(3)This section shall have effect in relation to arrangements approved by the Secretary of State on or after 16th August 1964, and subsections (3) to (5) of section 121 of the [1950 c. 34.] Housing (Scotland) Act 1950 shall continue to have effect only in relation to arrangements so approved before that date.
(1)A local authority submitting to the Secretary of State for approval any improvement proposals or any such arrangements as are mentioned in section 17 of this Act, and a housing association wishing to make with the Secretary of State any such arrangements as are mentioned in section 16 of this Act, shall furnish to the Secretary of State such estimates and such particulars as he may require for the purpose of determining the amount of any Exchequer contributions which fall to be made under this Part of this Act in connection with such proposals or arrangements.
(2)References in sections 13 to 17 of this Act to the improvement of dwellings shall be construed as including references to the alteration or enlargement thereof and to the execution of works of repair thereto, not being works of ordinary repair, and as including also references to the execution of works of ordinary repair thereto so far, but so far only, as the execution thereof is incidental to or connected with the execution of works of improvement, alteration or enlargement or of works of repair not being works of ordinary repair, and in the said sections the expression " improved " shall be construed accordingly.