HC Deb 01 December 1980 vol 995 cc100-1

Queen's Recommendation having been signified—

Resolved,

That, for the purposes of any Act of the present Session to increase financial limits which apply in connection with the National Enterprise Board, the Scottish Development Agency, the Welsh Development Agency and the Development Board for Rural Wales; to reduce the public dividend capital of the National Enterprise Board and of the two Agencies and the amount outstanding by way of loans made by the Secretary of State to the two Agencies; to provide for extending the period in relation to which schemes under the Shipbuilding (Redundancy Payments) Act 1978 operate; and to provide for financial support in connection with certain matters affecting industry, it is expedient to authorize—

  1. (a) the payment out of money provided by Parliament of any expenditure incurred by the Secretary of State in making such grants or loans to any body as he considers appropriate for the purpose of assisting in—
    1. (i) the promotion of the practice of engineering;
    2. (ii) the encouragement and improvement of links between industry, or any part of industry, and bodies or individuals concerned with education;
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    3. (iii) the encouragement of young persons and others to take up careers in industry, or in any part of industry, and to pursue appropriate educational courses;
  2. (b) the payment out of money provided by Parliament of any expenditure incurred by the Secretary of State in guaranteeing obligations (arising out of loans) incurred by any body—
    1. (i) which is established by Royal Charter;
    2. (ii) whose members are for the time being appointed by the Secretary of State; and
    3. (iii) which in his opinion is concerned with promoting the practice of engineering;
  3. (c) any increase in the sums so payable, or payable out of the National Loans Fund or Consolidated Fund, under any other enactment which is attributable to provisions of the said Act of the present Session—
    1. (i)increasing the financial limit specified in relation to the National Enterprise Board in section 8(2) of the Industry Act 1975 to £2,251 million;
    2. (ii) increasing the financial limit for the time being specified under section 5(3) of the Industry Act 1980 for the purposes of section 3 of that Act (property transferred to Secretary of State from National Enterprise Board) to £1,500 million and providing for that limit to be further increased by order of the Secretary of State;
    3. (iii) increasing the financial limit specified in section 5(4) of the Act of 1980 (aggregate limit in relation to the combined expenditure of National Enterprise Board and Secretary of State) to £4,251 million;
    4. (iv) increasing the financial limit specified in section 13(3) of the Scottish Development Agency Act 1975 to £700 million;
    5. (v) increasing the financial limit specified in section 18(3) of the Welsh Development Agency Act 1975 to £450 million;
    6. (vi) increasing the financial limit specified in section 12 of the Development of Rural Wales Act 1976 to £100 million;
    7. (vii) reducing by £2 million the aggregate amount of the principal and interest outstanding in respect of sums advanced to the Scottish Development Agency by the Secretary of State under paragraph 4(1) of Schedule 2 to the Scottish Development Agency Act 1975 and by £1 million the aggregate of the amount of the principal and interest outstanding in respect of sums advanced to the Welsh Development Agency by the Secretary of State under paragraph 4(1) of Schedule 3 to the Welsh Development Agency Act 1975; and
    8. (viii) giving power to increase from four years to six years the period in relation to which schemes made under the Shipbuilding (Redundancy Payments) Act 1978 operate; and
  4. (d) payments into the Consolidated Fund. — [Mr. David Mitchell.]