HC Deb 20 July 1939 vol 350 cc895-7

Resolution reported: That, for the purposes of any Act of the present Session to make provision for the granting of financial assistance to the owners of ships registered in the United Kingdom and persons qualified to be such owners being persons whose principal place of business is in the United Kingdom; to provide for the creation of a reserve of merchant shipping; and for purposes connected with the matters aforesaid, it is expedient—

  1. I. To provide for the payment out of moneys provided by Parliament—
    1. (a) of such sums as may be necessary for the payment of subsidies to persons qualified for assistance being owners of such ships as aforesaid in respect of tramp voyages or 896 parts of tramp voyages carried out by such ships, being general trading vessels in any of the years nineteen hundred and forty to nineteen hundred and forty-four inclusive; and of any expenses incurred by or on behalf of the Board of Trade in connection therewith, so however that the sums and expenses so paid in respect of any year shall not exceed two and three-quarter million pounds;
    2. (b)of such sums as may be necessary for the payment of ship-building grants to persons qualified for assistance in respect of the cost of building general trading vessels to their orders under contracts made after the 28th day of March, 1939, for the building of such vessels in the United Kingdom, so however that such sums shall not in the aggregate exceed two and a half million pounds and no sum shall be paid by way of ship-building grant after the 31st day of March, 1945;
    3. (c)of such sums as may be necessary for the giving of financial assistance to persons qualified for assistance to enable them to operate liner services with such ships as aforesaid in competition with foreign shipping in receipt of official subsidies or assistance; and of any expenses incurred by the Board of Trade in connection with such financial: assistance, so however that the sums and expenses so paid and the liabilities entered into by the Board in respect of any assistance so given shall not in the aggregate exceed ten million pounds;
    4. (d)of such sums as may be necessary for the payment of any expenditure incurred in connection with the purchase and, where necessary, the putting into repair of vessels purchased for the purpose of creating a reserve of merchant ships, not exceeding in the aggregate two million pounds; and of any sums necessary to defray the cost of maintaining any vessel forming part of that reserve.
  2. II. To provide for the payment into the Exchequer of any sums received by way of interest on or repayment of any loans made under sub-paragraph (c) of the last foregoing paragraph of this Resolution or by way of reimbursement in respect of any guarantee: indemnity given under that sub-paragraph.
  3. III. To provide for the issue out of the Consolidated Fund of such sums as may be necessary for the payment of ship-building loans to persons qualified for financial assistance in respect of the cost of building general trading vessels to their orders under contract? made after the 28th day of March, 1939, for the building of such vessels in Great Britain, and to authorise the raising of money and the creation and issue of securities under the War Loan Act, 1919, for the purpose of pro viding for the issue of such sums, so how ever that such sums shall not in the aggregate exceed ten million pounds, and no such loan shall be made in respect of any vessel of which the keel was not laid be fore the expiration of two years from the commencement of the said Act of the present Session.

For the purposes of this Resolution the expression ' person qualified for assistance ' means any person qualified under the Mer- chant Shipping Act, 1894, to own a British ship who has his principal place of business with the United Kingdom."