Agricultural Marketing Act 1983

Section 1.

SCHEDULE 1 Food from Britain

1 Food from Britain shall be a body corporate.

2 (1) Subject to section 6 of this Act, it shall be within the capacity of Food from Britain as a statutory corporation to do such things and to enter into such transactions as are incidental or conducive to the performance of any of its functions.

(2) Without prejudice to the generality of sub-paragraph (1) above—

(a) where in the performance of any of its functions Food from Britain renders any services to any person it may make such charges in respect of those services as it may agree with that person; and

(b) Food from Britain may accept contributions from other persons in respect of any expenses incurred or to be incurred in connection with any of its functions other than the transferred functions.

3 The validity of any proceedings of Food from Britain shall not be affected by any vacancy among the members or by any defect in the appointment or any disqualification of any of the members.

4 (1) Subject to the following provisions of this paragraph, a member of Food from Britain and the chairman and deputy chairman shall hold and vacate office as such in accordance with the terms of his appointment, and previous tenure of any such office shall not affect eligibility for re-appointment.

(2) If the chairman or deputy chairman ceases to be a member of Food from Britain, he shall also cease to be chairman or deputy chairman.

(3) A member may at any time, by notice in writing addressed to the Ministers, or to any of them, resign his membership, and the chairman or deputy chairman may, by the like notice, resign his office as such.

(4) The Ministers may terminate a person's appointment as member of Food from Britain if they are satisfied—

(a) that he has been absent from meetings of Food from Britain without the consent of the other members for at least six consecutive months out of the nine months immediately preceding the termination of his appointment; or

(b) that he is an undischarged bankrupt or has made an arrangement with his creditors or has become notour bankrupt or has executed a trust deed for behoof of, or has made a composition contract or arrangement with, his creditors; or

(c) that he is incapacitated by reason of physical or mental illness ; or

(d) that he is otherwise unable or unfit to discharge the functions of a member of Food from Britain.

5 The Ministers shall—

(a) pay to the members of Food from Britain such travelling or other allowances as the Ministers, with the approval of the Treasury, may determine, and in the case of any member as respects whom the Ministers, with the approval of the Treasury, so determine, may pay such remuneration, whether by way of salary or fees, as the Ministers and the Treasury may determine in his case,

(b) in the case of any member of Food from Britain to whom the Ministers, with the approval of the Treasury, determine that this paragraph applies, pay such pension, or make such payments towards the provision of a pension, to or in respect of him as the Ministers and the Treasury may determine in his case,

and if a person ceases to be a member of Food from Britain and it appears to the Ministers that there are special circumstances which make it right that the person should receive compensation the Ministers may, with the approval of the Treasury, pay to that person a sum of such amount as the Ministers may with the approval of the Treasury determine.

6 For the purpose of assisting it in the performance of any of its functions, Food from Britain may appoint committees consisting of or including persons other than members of Food from Britain and may pay those persons such remuneration and such travelling and other allowances as it may with the approval of the Ministers and the Treasury determine.

7 (1) A member of Food from Britain or any such committee shall, if he has any direct or indirect personal interest in a proposal made or proposed to be made to Food from Britain or the committee in connection with the making of any grant under the [1967 c. 22.] Agriculture Act 1967 or any grant or loan under this Act, disclose the nature of his interest at a meeting of Food from Britain or the committee as soon as possible after the relevant circumstances have come to his knowledge.

(2) Any disclosure so made by a member shall be recorded in the minutes of Food from Britain or the committee and that member shall not take part after the disclosure in any decision of Food from Britain or the committee with respect to that proposal, but he may, nevertheless, be taken into account for the purpose of constituting a quorum of Food from Britain or the committee.

8 In the case of an equality of votes at any meeting of Food from Britain the person who is chairman at that meeting shall have a second or casting vote.

9 Subject to paragraphs 7 and 8 above, the council may determine their own quorum and procedure, and the quorum and procedure of any committee appointed under paragraph 6 above.

10 The Ministers may designate persons to attend on their behalf any meetings of Food from Britain or any of its committees, and it shall be the duty of Food from Britain to afford any person so designated reasonable facilities for taking part in the deliberations of Food from Britain or the committee, and recording the decisions of Food from Britain or the committee; but a person so designated shall not be qualified to vote or otherwise count as a member of Food from Britain or the committee.

11 (1) Food from Britain may appoint such officers and servants as it thinks fit.

(2) Food from Britain shall—

(a) pay to its officers and servants such remuneration and such travelling or other allowances as it may with the approval of the Ministers and the consent of the Treasury determine, and

(b) as to any officers or servants in whose case Food from Britain may determine to do so, pay to or in respect of them such pensions, or provide and maintain for them such pension schemes, as Food from Britain may with the approval of the Ministers and the consent of the Treasury determine ;

and if a person ceases to be an officer or servant of Food from Britain and it appears to Food from Britain that there are special circumstances which make it right that that person should receive compensation Food from Britain may with the approval of the Ministers and the consent of the Treasury pay to that person a sum of such amount as it may with such approval determine.

12 The application of the seal of Food from Britain shall be authenticated by the signatures of two of its members and of the chief officer of Food from Britain or some other person authorised by Food from Britain to do so in his place.