(1)The appropriate Minister may in accordance with a scheme make grants towards the cost of improvements for the benefit of hill land (defining " hill land " in the scheme).
(2)The descriptions of improvements in respect of which grant may be paid shall be such as the appropriate Minister may prescribe in the scheme as being in his opinion improvements which will improve the productivity of hill land used for agriculture.
(3)A grant under this section may be by way of supplement to any grant or contribution payable in respect of the improvement in question under any enactment other than this section, and a scheme under this section may provide for the grant by way of supplement being subject to all or any of the restrictions, conditions and other incidental and supplemental provisions (including penalties) applying to the other grant or contribution.
(4)The duration of a scheme under this section shall be a period not exceeding five years, but that period may from time to time be extended by subsequent schemes for periods not exceeding five years.
(5)A scheme under this section shall provide for grant in respect of any expenditure being payable by reference to proposals which have been submitted to and approved by the appropriate Minister, and the approval—
(a)may be given before or, in such classes of cases as the appropriate Minister may direct, after the carrying out of the proposals,
(b)may be made subject to such conditions as the appropriate Minister may specify, and in particular subject to any condition as to the time within which the proposals are to be carried out,
(c)may be varied or withdrawn by the appropriate Minister with the applicant's written consent.
(6)Grants under this section shall be paid out of money provided by Parliament.
(7)Sections 35, 36 and 37 of this Act shall apply in relation to this section as they apply in relation to section 26 of this Act.
(8)This section extends to Northern Ireland.
(1)The improvements referred to in section 12 of the [1946 c. 73.] Hill Farming Act 1946 (which authorises the Minister to carry out improvements for the benefit of hill farming land subject to rights of common) shall include (in addition to improvements within the meaning of that Act) any improvements specified in a scheme under the foregoing provisions of this Part of this Act.
(2)Section 12(13) of the Hill Farming Act 1946 (under which the net cost of work done under that section is to be brought into account for the purposes of the limit on grants in that Act) shall not apply in relation to any improvement carried out after the coming into force of this section but any sum which, but for this subsection, would have been so brought into account shall be brought into account as if it were a grant made under the last foregoing section.
(1)Section 13 of the [1946 c. 73.] Hill Farming Act 1946 (which authorises payments year by year for hill sheep and cattle but which, as amended by the [1951 c. 18.] Livestock Rearing Act 1951, the [1956 c. 72.] Hill Farming Act 1956 and section 2 of the [1963 c. 11.] Agriculture (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1963, is restricted to a period of years ending in 1967) shall apply without any such restriction and accordingly—
(a)" relevant days " in the said section 13(1)(a) and in related contexts in the same Act shall mean such day of December in any year as may be specified in the relevant scheme under that section, and
(b)in the said section 13(1)(b) for the words from " the year 1947 " to the words " succeeding years " there shall be substituted the words " any year ".
(2)Schemes made under the said section 13 after the coming into force of this section shall restrict payments under subsection (1)(a) and payments under subsection (1)(b) of that section to periods not exceeding five years, but any such period may from time to time be extended by further schemes for periods not exceeding five years.
(3)This section extends to Northern Ireland.
(1)Section 10(1) of the Agriculture (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1963 (which authorises payment of winter keep grants in respect of certain livestock rearing land) shall be amended by substituting 5 years for 3 years as the maximum period which may be specified in a scheme made under that subsection.
(2)This section extends to Northern Ireland.