Where war damage has occurred to any building occupied, or plant or works used, for the purposes of an undertaking, and a loan either for the purpose of making good the damage, or partly for that purpose and partly for other purposes, has been made by a Minister of the Crown out of moneys provided 1449 by Parliament to the person carrying on the undertaking, on the ground that, immediately before the occurrence of the damage, the undertaking was being carried on for purposes which, in the opinion of the said Minister, were essential to the efficient prosecution of any war in which His Majesty may be engaged, so much of any payment under Part I of this Act as consists of the proper cost of any works executed for the purpose of making good the damage or so much of any payment under the business scheme operated under Part II of this Act or any payment that the Board of Trade have decided to make under Section fifty of this Act, as is referable to the damage, may, notwithstanding anything in Section ten of this Act or in any policy of insurance issued in pursuance of the said scheme, in lieu of being paid by the Commission, or, as the case may be, by the Board of Trade, be discharged by crediting the appropriate amount to the person carrying on the undertaking in his account with the said Minister.—[The Attorney-General.]
§ The Attorney-GeneralI beg to move, "That the Clause be read a Second time."
This is purely a machinery Clause. There are certain cases in which, for example, a munition factory has been damaged. A loan may be made by the Crown for the purpose of repairing the damage, and the Clause provides that, when subsequently the payment under this Bill becomes due, it can be discharged by writing off the appropriate amount of the loan.
§ Question put, and agreed to.
§ Clause read a Second time, and added to the Bill.