2F2 Advances and charter of ships.
1
For the purposes of this Act the Secretary of State may, with the consent of the Treasury and subject to the provisions of this section,—
a
undertake to make, and make, advances either by way of grant or by way of loan, or partly in one of those ways and partly in the other, on such terms and conditions as he considers expedient for the purposes of this Act, to persons of the descriptions specified in the foregoing section;
b
enter into contracts for the charter to such persons of ships for the time being held by him under this Act.
2
The Secretary of State shall not under this section undertake to make, or make, any advance to, or enter into any contract with, any person of a description specified in the foregoing section who provides regular public transport services serving places outwith the Highlands and Islands otherwise than incidentally to the service of places within the Highlands and Islands.
3
Where the Secretary of State proposes under this section to make to any person in any financial year any advance which, by itself or taken with any other advance made or to be made under this section to that person in that financial year, exceeds in the aggregate the sum of ten thousand pounds he shall do so only in accordance with an undertaking a draft of which (including the terms and conditions upon which the undertaking is proposed to be made) has been laid before Parliament and approved by a resolution of the Commons House thereof.
F14
In the application of subsection (3) to any advance proposed to be made by the Scottish Ministers, the reference to an undertaking being laid in draft before Parliament and approved by the House of Commons shall be a reference to an undertaking being laid in draft before and approved by the Scottish Parliament.