(1)The Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (in this section referred to as " the Minister ") may, with the consent of the Treasury, make contributions out of moneys provided by Parliament towards expenditure incurred or to be incurred by the Authority in the performance of their functions under Part I of this Act (including Schedule 1 to this Act) except so much of any such expenditure as consists or is to consist of bonus payments or loans made by the Authority, or of sums required for fulfilling guarantees given by the Authority, under that Part of this Act.
(2)Any contributions under this section may be made subject to any conditions regulating or restricting the functions of the Authority, imposing requirements as to the inspection of accounts and records, or relating to other matters, which the Minister may specify; and the Minister may recover the whole or any part of a contribution which is made subject to a condition, if that condition is not complied with.
(3)Any sums recovered by the Minister under the last preceding subsection shall be paid into the Exchequer.
(1)Before the beginning of each year the Authority shall prepare and submit to the Ministers either—
(a)an estimate of the amount required to be raised by levy for that year for the purposes of the Authority's functions under Part I of this Act, or
(b)such an estimate as is mentioned in the preceding paragraph and also an estimate of the amount required to be raised by levy for that year for the purposes of the Authority's functions under Part II of this Act.
(2)Together with any estimate submitted under this section, the Authority shall submit to the Ministers proposals as to—
(a)the kinds of home-grown cereals in respect of which a levy should be imposed, and
(b)the apportionment of the amount specified in the estimate as between those kinds of home-grown cereals.
(3)As soon as practicable after the submission to the Ministers of one or more estimates for any year under this section, the Ministers shall—
(a)determine the amount to be raised by levy for that year for the purposes of the Authority's functions under Part I of this Act, and (where applicable) the amount to be so raised for the purposes of their functions under Part II of this Act, and the kinds of home-grown cereals in respect of which a levy is to be imposed for that year, and
(b)apportion the amount (or, as the case may be, each of the amounts) so determined as between those kinds of home-grown cereals, and
(c)make an order for that year specifying, in respect of each of those kinds of home-grown cereals, such rate of levy as appears to the Ministers to be sufficient (but not more than sufficient) to meet the amount (or, as the case may be, the aggregate amount) apportioned to that kind of home-grown cereals under this subsection.
(4)The rates of levy specified in an order under this section may be expressed either by reference to quantity of home-grown cereals delivered or to acreage of land used for the growing of home-grown cereals or partly in the one way and partly in the other; and the order shall include provision as to the way in which any such quantity or acreage is to be determined for the purposes of the levy.
(5)The provisions of Schedule 3 to this Act shall have effect with respect to estimates and orders under this section, and otherwise with respect to levies under this Part of this Act.
(1)In addition to the preparation of an estimate or estimates in accordance with the last preceding section, the Authority shall, before the beginning of each year, consider, in respect of each kind of home-grown cereals, whether it is their intention that any levy to be imposed for that year under this Part of this Act shall be imposed in accordance with section 15 of this Act or shall be imposed in pursuance of a scheme under section 16 of this Act; and—
(a)if, in the case of any kind of home-grown cereals, they intend that a levy for that year shall be imposed in pursuance of a scheme under section 16 of this Act which is then in force, they shall pass a resolution to that effect and shall publish notice of that resolution in the London, Edinburgh and Belfast Gazettes, or
(b)if, in the case of any kind of home-grown cereals, they intend that a levy for that year shall be imposed in pursuance of such a scheme, but no such scheme is then in force, they shall submit such a scheme to the Ministers before the beginning of that year and shall publish in the London, Edinburgh and Belfast Gazettes notice of the submission of the scheme.
(2)Where for any year the Ministers have made an order under the last preceding section specifying a rate of levy for that year in respect of any kind of home-grown cereals, the following provisions of this section shall have effect.
(3)If in that year a scheme under section 16 of this Act is in force in respect of that kind of home-grown cereals, and the Authority have published in respect of that kind of home-grown cereals such a notice as is mentioned in paragraph (a) or paragraph (b) of subsection (1) of this section, a levy for that year shall be imposed in respect of that kind of home-grown cereals as mentioned in section 16(6) of this Act.
(4)In any case not falling within the last preceding subsection, a levy for that year shall be imposed in respect of that kind of home-grown cereals as mentioned in section 15(1) of this Act.
(1)Where, in respect of any year (in this section referred to as "the relevant year"), a levy is, by virtue of subsection (4) of the last preceding section, to be imposed in accordance with this section in respect of any kind of home-grown cereals (in this section referred to as " the relevant kind of cereals "), a levy for that year shall be imposed on registered growers of the relevant kind of cereals, at the rate specified in relation thereto in the order for that year made under section 13 of this Act and in accordance with such provisions as to quantity or acreage as are contained in that order.
(2)If one or more deficiency payments would, apart from this section, be paid to or in respect of a registered grower of the relevant kind of cereals in respect of the relevant year, the amount of the levy which by virtue of this section is imposed on him for that year shall, so far as it appears to the appropriate Minister or Ministers to be practicable to do so, be deducted from that payment or (if more than one) from the aggregate of those payments, and the payment or payments shall be reduced accordingly.
(3)In so far as the amount, or any part of the amount, of the levy imposed on a registered grower by virtue of this section cannot be deducted as mentioned in the last preceding subsection, the Authority may recover it in either of the ways mentioned in subsections (4) and (5) of this section, or partly in the one way and partly in the other; and for the purposes of this subsection a certificate issued by the appropriate Minister or Ministers, stating that the amount of a levy, or such part of that amount as may be specified in the certificate, cannot be so deducted, shall be conclusive evidence of the fact so stated.
(4)If one or more bonus payments are payable to or in respect of that registered grower under Part I of this Act in respect of forward contracts made by him in the relevant year which relate to the relevant kind of cereals, or in respect of any of that kind of cereals delivered in that year, the amount of the levy, or the part of it in question, as the case may be, may be deducted by the Authority from that bonus payment or (if more than one) from the aggregate of those bonus payments, and the payment or payments shall be reduced accordingly.
(5)The amount of the levy, or the part of it in question, may be recovered by the Authority as a simple contract debt in any court of competent jurisdiction.
(6)The appropriate Minister or Ministers shall pay to the Authority any amounts deducted in pursuance of subsection (2) of this section.
(7)Any reference in this section to deducting an amount from a payment shall, where the amount in question is equal to or greater than the payment, be construed as including a reference to setting off the amount, or part of it, against the payment so as to extinguish any claim to the payment, and any reference to reducing a payment shall be construed accordingly.
(8)Any reference in this section to a deficiency payment includes a reference to a payment in advance on account of a deficiency payment; and any reference to a deficiency payment or bonus payment which, apart from this section, would be paid in respect of a registered grower is a reference to a deficiency payment or bonus payment which, apart from this section, would be paid to a person other than the registered grower as being a person to whom the interest of the registered grower in the payment has passed.
(1)The Authority may prepare and submit to the Ministers a scheme for imposing (otherwise than in accordance with section 15 of this Act) a levy on growers of home-grown cereals of any kind specified in this scheme.
(2)So far as is necessary for determining the liability of persons to a levy imposed in accordance with a scheme under this section, such a scheme may confer on the Authority power to require any persons who are growers of, or dealers in, home-grown cereals, or who process home-grown cereals.—
(a)to be registered in a register kept for the purpose by the Authority;
(b)to furnish returns and other information, and to produce for examination on behalf of the Authority books and other documents in their custody or under their control; and
(c)to keep records and to produce them for examination on behalf of the Authority.
(3)Any scheme under this section may be varied or revoked by a subsequent scheme thereunder.
(4)A scheme under this section shall not have effect unless it is approved by the Ministers by order; and any such order may approve the scheme with or without modifications, and may be revoked by a subsequent order, whether the subsequent order is made for the purpose of approving another scheme under this section or not.
(5)An order under the last preceding subsection shall be of no effect unless it is approved by a resolution of each House of Parliament.
(6)Where for any year a levy is, by virtue of section 14(3) of this Act, to be imposed in respect of any kind of home-grown cereals in pursuance of a scheme under this section, a levy for that year shall be imposed on growers of home-grown cereals of that kind—
(a)at the rate specified in relation thereto in the order for that year made under section 13 of this Act, and in accordance with such provisions as to quantity or acreage as are contained in that order, and
(b)in other respects, in accordance with the provisions of any scheme relating to that kind of home-grown cereals which is for the time being in force by virtue of this section.
(1)Any person who fails to comply with a requirement imposed by or under a scheme in accordance with subsection (2) of the last preceding section shall be guilty of an offence and liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding £100 or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding three months or both.
(2)Returns or other information furnished to or obtained by any person in pursuance of such a requirement shall not be disclosed except—
(a)with the written consent of the person by whom the information was furnished, or
(b)to a member, officer or servant of the Authority, or
(c)to any of the three Ministers mentioned in section 24(1) of this Act or an officer or servant appointed by one of those Ministers, or
(d)in the form of a summary of similar returns or information furnished by or obtained from a number of persons, being a summary so framed as not to enable particulars relating to any one person or business to be ascertained from it, or
(e)for the purposes of any proceedings pursuant to this Act or of any criminal proceedings which may be taken, whether pursuant to this Act or otherwise, or for the purposes of a report of any such proceedings.
(3)Any person who—
(a)in furnishing any information for the purposes of a scheme under the last preceding section, makes a statement which he knows to be false in a material particular, or recklessly makes a statement which is false in a material particular, or
(b)wilfully makes a false entry in any document which is required to be produced in pursuance of any such scheme, or
(c)discloses any information in contravention of subsection (2) of this section,
shall be liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding £100 or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding three months or both, or on conviction on indictment to a fine or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding two years or both.
(1)The Authority may establish and thereafter maintain a reserve fund for the purposes of their functions under Part I of this Act, and may establish and thereafter maintain a reserve fund for the purposes of any functions of the Authority under Part II of this Act.
(2)Any moneys for the time being comprised in a reserve fund maintained under this section, and any other moneys of the Authority which are not for the time being required for any other purpose, may be invested in accordance with the next following subsection.
(3)Sections 1, 2, 5, 6, 12 and 13 of the [1961 c. 62.] Trustee Investments Act 1961 (which relate to the investment powers of trustees) shall have effect in relation to any such moneys, and in relation to any investments or other property for the time being representing any such moneys, as if they constituted a trust fund and the Authority were the trustees of that trust fund.
(1)Subject to the following provisions of this section, the Authority may borrow money and may pledge, mortgage or charge any of their property, including the proceeds of any levy under this Part of this Act.
(2)The Ministers may, by order made with the consent of the Treasury, direct that the aggregate amount outstanding in respect of the principal of any moneys borrowed by the Authority for the purposes of their functions under Part II of this Act shall not at any time exceed such sum as may be specified in the order; and, at any time while such an order is in force, that aggregate amount shall not exceed the sum so specified.
(3)Any order under this section may be revoked by a subsequent order thereunder.
(4)An order under this section shall not have effect unless it is approved by a resolution of each House of Parliament.