§ 6.22 p.m.
§ Lord Elton rose to move, That the draft order laid before the House on 26th November be approved.
848§ The noble Lord said: My Lords, I beg to move that the draft Financial Provisions (Northern Ireland) Order 1980 be approved. This is a further order in a series, which has been enacted at intervals of approximately two years, to deal with miscellaneous matters of a financial nature. The last order was the Financial Provisions (Northern Ireland) Order 1978. The main purpose of those orders is to increase, as necessary, limits imposed by Northern Ireland legislation on certain financial transactions, and to deal with other matters with a financial content. They do not deal with the appropriation of cash for public services.
§ I propose to deal very briefly with the content of the main articles. Article 3 and Schedules 1 and 2 deal with two items in respect of which issues may be made from the Northern Ireland Consolidated Fund, the issues having a statutory limit placed on them. The first item is for capital expenditure for industrial development, where it is proposed to increase the present limit on aggregate issues from £550 million to £560 million. The second relates to issues to enable rebate payments to be made to employers from the maternity pay fund, where it is proposed to increase the present limit from £250,000 to £750,000. It is anticipated that these increases should accommodate estimated expenditure until mid-1982.
§ I have other details of the order, but I think that your Lordships would rather proceed to the next business, and so formally I beg to move that the order be agreed to.
§ Moved, That the order laid before the House on 26th November be approved.—(Lord Elton.)
§ On Question, Motion agreed to.