1 Provision of services.
(1) Where it appears to the Ministry of Finance (in this Act referred to as “the Ministry”) after consultation with the appropriate departments that it is desirable, for the purpose of providing (whether directly or indirectly) employment in any area, that the provision or improvement of any service to which this section applies and for which adequate provision has not been made in that area should be specially assisted or accelerated, the Ministry, or any other Government department which the Ministry may designate for the purpose, may either itself provide or improve, or may make grants towards the cost of providing or improving, that service in such manner and subject to such conditions as the Ministry may think expedient for the purposes of this section.
For the purposes of this sub-section the expression “appropriate departments” means, in relation to any service to which this section applies, the Ministry of Labour and National Insurance and any such other Government department as appears to the Ministry to be concerned with the administration of that service.
SRO (NI) 1964/205
(2) The services to which this section applies are all services (including facilities or amenities) which the Ministry is satisfied are necessary in the public interest or are desirable either for the development of any area or for the improvement of any service provided by a local or public authority in the exercise of any function arising under or by virtue of the provisions of any enactment.
(3) Subject to the provisions of section seven of this Act and notwithstanding anything to the contrary in any other enactment, the powers conferred by this section on the Ministry or any other Government department to make grants in respect of any service to which this section applies shall be exercisable in addition to any other power conferred by any other enactment to make grants in respect of that service.