Sea Fish Industry Act 1970

Grants towards new vessels, engines, etc.

44 Grants by the White Fish Authority

(1) The Authority may, in accordance with a scheme made by the Ministers with the approval of the Treasury after consultation with the Authority, make to persons engaged or proposing to become engaged in the white fish industry in Great Britain grants in respect of expenditure incurred—

(a) in the acquisition of any vessel to which this section applies;

(b) in the acquisition, installation, modification, renewal or replacement of any part of a vessel to which this section applies, or of an engine, or any part of an engine, of or for such a vessel, or of any relevant equipment required for, or installed or used on, such a vessel,

of such amounts and subject to such conditions as may be determined by or under the scheme; but no such grant shall be made in respect of expenditure incurred in the acquisition of any secondhand vessel, or in the acquisition or installation of any secondhand engine, part, equipment or apparatus.

(2) For the purposes of this section a person shall be deemed to be engaged in the white fish industry in Great Britain if he carries on the business of operating one or more vessels registered in Great Britain in carrying on any of the activities specified in subsection (3) below.

(3) This section applies to any vessel registered or intended to be registered in Great Britain, being a vessel engaged or to be engaged in catching or processing white fish or transporting white fish or the products of white fish.

(4) In relation to a vessel to which this section applies " relevant equipment" means equipment or apparatus of any description constructed or adapted for the purposes of the particular activities by virtue of which the vessel is one to which this section applies; and equipment constructed or adapted for the purpose of transferring white fish from one vessel to another shall be treated as equipment constructed or adapted for the purposes of those activities.

45 Grants by the Herring Industry Board

(1) The Board may, in accordance with a scheme made by the Ministers with the approval of the Treasury after consultation with the Board, make to persons engaged or proposing to become engaged in the herring industry in Great Britain grants in respect of expenditure incurred—

(a) in the acquisition of any vessel to which this section applies;

(b) in the acquisition, installation, modification, renewal or replacement of any part of a vessel to which this section applies, or of an engine, or any part of an engine, of or for such a vessel, or of any relevant equipment required for, or installed or used on, such a vessel,

of such amounts and subject to such conditions as may be determined by or under the scheme; but no such grant shall be made in respect of expenditure incurred in the acquisition of any secondhand vessel, or in the acquisition or installation of any secondhand engine, part, equipment or apparatus.

(2) For the purposes of this section a person shall be deemed to be engaged in the herring industry in Great Britain if he carries on the business of operating one or more vessels registered in Great Britain in carrying on any of the activities specified in subsection (3) below.

(3) This section applies to any vessel registered or intended to be registered in Great Britain, being a vessel engaged or to be engaged in catching or processing herring or transporting herring or the products of herring.

(4) In relation to a vessel to which this section applies " relevant equipment" means equipment or apparatus of any description constructed or adapted for the purposes of the particular activities by virtue of which the vessel is one to which this section applies; and equipment constructed or adapted for the purpose of transferring herring from one vessel to another shall be treated as equipment constructed or adapted for the purposes of those activities.

46 Grants where expenditure shared

Where any expenditure in respect of which a grant may be made in pursuance of a scheme under section 44 or 45 of this Act is shared by two or more persons, the amount of the grant which may be so made to any one of those persons shall not exceed such fraction of the grant which could be made to him if he had incurred the whole of that expenditure as is proportionate to his actual share of that expenditure.

47 Financial provision

Any sums required by the Authority or the Board for the payment of grants under this Part of this Act shall be paid out of moneys provided by Parliament, and any sums received by the Authority or the Board by way of refund of any such grants in accordance with conditions attached thereto shall be paid into the Consolidated Fund.

48 Accounts

(1) The Authority and the Board shall respectively keep such accounts with respect to grants made by them under section 44 or 45 of this Act as may be directed by the Ministers with the approval of the Treasury, and shall prepare in respect of each financial year a statement of the accounts in such form and giving such information as may be so directed.

(2) The said accounts for each financial year shall be audited (in accordance with a scheme of audit approved by the Ministers), and the statements certified, by the persons appointed in respect of that year to audit the other accounts of the Authority or the Board, as the case may be ; and the auditors shall be furnished by the Authority and the Board with copies of their respective statements.

(3) The auditors shall in each case furnish the Ministers with copies of the said statement of accounts together with their report thereon, and the copies and the report shall be sent by the Ministers to the Comptroller and Auditor-General not later than 30th September following the end of the financial year to which the accounts relate.

(4) The Comptroller and Auditor-General shall examine the said statements of accounts and the reports sent to him under subsection (3) above and may inspect the accounts kept by the Authority or the Board with respect to grants made by them under section 44 or 45 of this Act, and shall certify each statement and lay a copy of it together with his report thereon before Parliament.