Agriculture Act 1967

27 Grants for individuals relinquishing occupation of uncommercial units.

(1) The appropriate Minister may in accordance with a scheme make a grant by way of a lump sum payment or an annuity to or for the benefit of an individual who in prescribed circumstances relinquishes his occupation of an uncommercial unit of agricultural land—

(a) where the relinquishment of all or any part of that uncommercial unit is effected as part of an amalgamation to which a scheme under section 26 of this Act for the time being applies, or

(b) in accordance with arrangements which the appropriate Minister or, subject to the provisions of Part III of this Act, a Rural Development Board makes with him (whether or not his landlord or any other person is a third party) to enable the appropriate Minister or the Board to dispose of the unit so that it is owned or occupied with other land, or so as to improve the shape of any agricultural units, or

(c) subject to the provisions of Part III of this Act, in accordance with arrangements approved by a Rural Development Board as being for the purpose of facilitating the afforestation of land in the area of the Board.

(2) A scheme under this section—

(a) may, subject to any prescribed exceptions, require the individual to have been in occupation of the whole of the uncommercial unit for a prescribed period,

(b) may exclude an individual who occupied the uncommercial unit under a short-term letting as defined in the scheme,

(c) may apply to the individual a test by reference to the income (calculated in a prescribed way) derived from the land the occupation of which he relinquishes including, if the scheme so provides, income so derived by the individual's wife or husband or partner or by any other person jointly occupying the land.

(3) A scheme under this section may authorise the making of grant subject to such conditions as the appropriate Minister may specify.

(4) Grants shall not be payable under this section to any one individual in respect of more than one uncommercial unit, and a scheme under this section shall contain provisions for securing that the amount of the grant payable in respect of an uncommercial unit occupied by more than one individual is an amount which is not more than approximately equivalent to the amount which would be payable if it had been occupied by a single individual.

(5) A scheme under this section may provide that, after the death of a person in receipt of a grant by way of annuity, grant under this section of an amount specified in the scheme may be payable to a surviving widow or widower.

(6) The duration of a scheme under this section shall be a period not exceeding seven years, but that period may be extended from time to time by subsequent schemes under this section for periods not exceeding seven years.

(7) Any grant under this section shall be paid out of money provided by Parliament.