Merchant Shipping Act 1988

Financial assistance

26 Financial assistance in respect of costs of training merchant navy officers and ratings

(1) The Secretary of State may, with the consent of the Treasury, give any person or body of persons of any description determined by him for the purposes of this section financial assistance in respect of expenses incurred or to be incurred by any such person or body in connection with the training (whether in the United Kingdom or elsewhere) of officers and ratings for service in merchant ships, including expenses incurred or to be incurred by any such person in connection with his undergoing any such training.

(2) Assistance under this section may be given by way of a grant or a loan or otherwise; and in giving any such assistance the Secretary of State may impose such conditions as he thinks fit, including conditions requiring a grant to be repaid in specified circumstances.

(3) This section is without prejudice to any other power of the Secretary of State to give financial assistance in connection with any such training as is mentioned in subsection (1).

27 Financial assistance in respect of crew relief costs

(1) The Secretary of State may, with the consent of the Treasury, give financial assistance to—

(a) the owner of a ship registered in the British Islands, or

(b) any manager of a ship so registered, being either an individual ordinarily resident in the British Islands or a body corporate which is incorporated in the British Islands and has its principal place of business there,

in respect of travel and other costs incurred by the owner or manager in connection with members of the ship’s crew joining or leaving the ship outside the Limited European trading area.

(2) If the Secretary of State so determines, eligibility for assistance under this section shall be conditional on the fulfilment of such conditions with respect to all or any of the following matters as are specified in his determination, namely —

(a) the nationality of any person in relation to whom any such costs as are mentioned in subsection (1) are incurred;

(b) the ordinary residence of any such person;

(c) the place (outside the Limited European trading area) where any such person joins or leaves his ship.

(3) Assistance under this section may be given by way of a grant or a loan or otherwise; and in giving any such assistance the Secretary of State may impose such conditions as he thinks fit.

(4) For the purposes of this section—

(a) the crew of a ship shall be taken to include the master and other officers of the ship; and

(b) “the Limited European trading area” has the same meaning as it has for the purposes of any regulations made under section 43 of the [1970 c. 36.] Merchant Shipping Act 1970 (regulations about manning).