55Power of Secretary of State to abolish or reduce certain kinds of Exchequer contribution
(1)The Secretary of State may by order direct that, while the order remains in force, such Exchequer contributions as may be specified in the order—
(a)shall cease to be payable, or
(b)shall be reduced to such rate or amount as may be specified in the order, or
(c)shall be payable for such reduced number of years as may be so specified,
either as respects all approved houses, or the cost of such houses or of the sites thereof, or as respects approved houses of such description or in such area only, or the cost of such houses or of the sites thereof, as may be specified in the order.
(2)In this section—
(a)the expression " approved houses" means approved houses within the meaning of section 1 of this Act and approved houses within the meaning of the [1962 c. 28.] Housing (Scotland) Act 1962 ; and
(b)the expression " Exchequer contributions " means—
(i)in relation to approved houses of the former class, Exchequer contributions payable under any of the enactments mentioned in Schedule 8 to this Act, so far as such Exchequer contributions are payable to a local authority, and
(ii)in relation to approved houses of the latter class, Exchequer contributions payable under Part I of the said Act of 1962.
(3)An order made under this section shall be so expressed as to apply only to approved houses the proposals in respect of which were or are received by the Secretary of State after such date as may be specified in the order ; and an order may specify for the purposes of this subsection a day earlier than the day of the making of the order:
Provided that—
(a)in the case of an order made before 10th May 1977, so far as relating to approved houses within the meaning of section 1 of this Act, the order shall not for the purposes of this subsection specify a day earlier than the day on which the draft of the order is laid before the Commons House of Parliament under subsection (4) of this section ;
(b)an order shall not be made in relation to approved houses within the meaning of the said Act of 1962 before 3rd July 1972.
(4)The power to make orders conferred on the Secretary of State by this section shall be exercisable by statutory instrument and an order shall not be made under this section unless a draft thereof has been laid before the Commons House of Parliament and has been approved by a resolution of that House, and before laying such a draft the Secretary of State shall consult with such associations of recipient authorities (within the meaning of section 1 of this Act) as appear to him to be concerned and with any recipient authority with whom consultation appears to him to be desirable.