Agriculture (Scotland) Act 1948

77 Grants towards provision of houses to for landholders and cottars in Highlands and Islands.

(1) The Secretary of State may provide 'assistance by way of grants towards the erection or improvement or rebuilding of dwelling-houses and other buildings for landholders and cottars in the Highlands and Islands.

(2) The powers of the Secretary of State under this section shall be exercised in accordance with arrangements made by him with the approval of the Treasury

(3) Regulations shall be made by the Secretary of State—

(a) for securing that where a grant has been made towards the erection, improvement or rebuilding of a house or other building, conditions with respect to the occupation and maintenance thereof shall apply thereto for such period from the completion of the work (not being longer than forty years) as may be specified in the regulations;

(b) for securing that in the event of a breach of any of the conditions the Secretary of State may recover from such person as may be specified in the regulations a sum bearing the same proportion to the grant made as the period between the date of the breach of the condition and the expiration of the period specified under paragraph (a) of this subsection bears to the last-mentioned period, together with interest on such sum from the date on which the grant was made at such rate as may be specified in the regulations;

(c) for providing that the conditions applied by the regulations to a house or building shall cease to apply on payment to the Secretary of State by such person as-may be specified in the regulations of such amount as may be so specified;

(d) for applying, subject to any necessary modifications, in relation to a house or building towards the erection, improvement or rebuilding of which a grant has been made under this section, the provisions of section seven of the [1 & 2 Geo. 6. c. 38.] Housing (Agricultural Population) (Scotland) Act, 1938 (which restricts the compensation payable in respect of improvements, and prohibits increases in the rents of houses, in respect of which assistance has been granted under Part II of that Act);

(e) for such other incidental and supplementary matters as appear to the Secretary of State to be requisite or expedient for the purposes aforesaid.

(4) No assistance by way of grant shall be given under this section towards the erection, improvement or rebuilding of any house in respect of which assistance under section four of the Housing (Agricultural Population) (Scotland) Act, 1938, has been given.

(5) In this section the expressions " landholder " and " cottar " have the like meanings as in the Small Landholders (Scotland) Acts, 1886 to 1931, and the expression " Highlands and Islands " has the like meaning as in the Housing (Agricultural Population) (Scotland) Act, 1938.