Civil Aviation Act 1978

1 Establishment and purpose of Aviation Security Fund

(1) There shall be established under the control and management of the Secretary of State a fund to be called the Aviation Security Fund (in the following provisions of this Act referred to as the Fund) out of which payments shall be made in accordance with subsection (2) below.

(2) Any payment falling to be made by the Secretary of State under either of the following provisions, that is to say—

(a) section 23 of the [1973 c. 47.] Protection of Aircraft Act 1973 (reimbursement of expenses incurred by aircraft operators, aerodrome managers and others for the purpose of protecting aircraft, aerodromes and air navigation installations against acts of violence);

(b) section 7 of the [1974 c. 41.] Policing of Airports Act 1974 (reimbursement of expenses incurred by aerodrome authorities in or in connection with the policing of aerodromes),

shall, unless the Secretary of State certifies that the payment is of an exceptional nature, be defrayed out of the Fund instead of out of moneys provided by Parliament and any such payment defrayed out of the Fund may be made without the consent of the Treasury.

(3) The Secretary of State shall prepare accounts of the Fund in such form as the Treasury may direct and shall send them to the Comptroller and Auditor General not later than the end of the month of November following the end of the financial year to which the accounts relate; and the Comptroller and Auditor General shall examine and certify every such account and shall lay copies thereof, together with his report thereon, before Parliament.

(4) Any money in the Fund which appears to the Secretary of State not to be immediately required for the purposes of the Fund may be deposited by him with the Bank of England or with any company that is a banking or discount company for the purposes of the [1963 c. 16.] Protection of Depositors Act 1963 ; and any interest received by the Secretary of State in respect of money so deposited shall be paid by him into the Fund.

(5) There shall be paid out of the Fund into the Consolidated Fund sums equal to the amount of any expenses incurred by the Secretary of State in the management and control of the Aviation Security Fund.