Office of Public Sector Information

(2) Regulations providing an exemption from any prohibition or restriction may make the exemption applicable—

(a) in all, or only in specified, areas;

(b) to all, or only to specified, crop residues; or

(c) in all, or only in specified, circumstances.

(3) Any power to make regulations under this section includes power—

(a) to make different provision for different areas or circumstances;

(b) where burning of a crop residue is restricted, to impose requirements to be complied with before or after the burning;

(c) to create offences subject to the limitation that no offence shall be made punishable otherwise than on summary conviction and the fine prescribed for the offence shall not exceed level 5 on the standard scale; and

(d) to make such incidental, supplemental and transitional provision as the appropriate Minister considers appropriate.

(4) Where it appears to the appropriate Minister appropriate to do so in consequence of any regulations made under the foregoing provisions of this section, the appropriate Minister may, by order, repeal any byelaws of local authorities dealing with the burning of crop residues on agricultural land.

(5) In this section—

• “agriculture” and “agricultural land” have, as respects England or as respects Wales, the same meaning as in the [1947 c. 48.] Agriculture Act 1947 and, as respects Scotland, the same meaning as in the [1948 c. 45.] Agriculture (Scotland) Act 1948;

• “crop residue” means straw or stubble or any other crop residue;

• “the appropriate Minister” means the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food or the Secretary of State or both of them.

Environmental expenditure

153 Financial assistance for environmental purposes

(1) The Secretary of State may, with the consent of the Treasury, give financial assistance to, or for the purposes of, any of the following—

(a) the United Nations Environment Programme;

(b) the European Environmental Bureau;

(c) the chemicals programme of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development;

(d) the joint inter-Governmental panel on Climate Change of the United Nations Environment Programme and the World Meteorological Organisation;

(e) the International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources;

(f) the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora;

(g) the Convention on Wetlands of International Importance Especially as Waterfowl Habitat;

(h) the Convention on Long-range Transboundary Air Pollution and any protocol to that Convention;

(i) the Convention and Protocol for the Protection of the Ozone Layer;

(j) the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals;

(k) the Groundwork Foundation and Trusts;

(l) the environmental protection technology scheme for research and development in the United Kingdom in relation to such technology;

(m) the programme known as the special grants programme so far as it relates to the protection, improvement or better understanding of the environment of, or of any part of, Great Britain.

(2) Financial assistance may be given in respect of particular activities or generally in respect of all or some part of the activities carried on or supported by the recipient.

(3) Financial assistance shall be given in such form and on such terms as the Secretary of State may think fit and, in particular, assistance may be given by making grants (whether or not repayable), loans or guarantees to, or by incurring expenditure, or providing services, staff or equipment for the benefit of, the recipient.

(4) The Secretary of State may, by order, vary subsection (1) above by adding to or deleting from it any description of organisation, scheme, programme or international agreement whose purposes relate to the protection, improvement or better understanding of the environment.

(5) Subject to any Order made after the passing of this Act by virtue of subsection (1)(a) of section 3 of the [1973 c. 36.] Northern Ireland Constitution Act 1973, the environmental protection technology scheme for research and development in the United Kingdom in relation to such technology shall not be a transferred matter for the purposes of that Act but shall for the purposes of subsection (2) of that section be treated as specified in Schedule 3 to that Act.

154 The Groundwork Foundation: superannuation

Employment with the Groundwork Foundation shall be and shall be deemed always to have been included among the kinds of employment to which a superannuation scheme under section 1 of the [1972 c. 11.] Superannuation Act 1972 can apply, and accordingly in Schedule 1 to that Act (in which those kinds of employment are listed) the words “Groundwork Foundation” shall be inserted after the words “Gaming Board for Great Britain”.

155 Remuneration of chairman of Inland Waterways Amenity Advisory Council

In section 110 of the [1968 c. 78.] Transport Act [1968 c. 73.] 1968 (Inland Waterways Amenity Advisory Council) at the end there shall be inserted—

“(7) The Secretary of State may, with the consent of the Treasury, pay the chairman of the Council out of money provided by Parliament such remuneration as the Secretary of State may determine; and where the chairman is in receipt of such remuneration he shall not be paid any allowance under subsection (6) of this section in respect of loss of remunerative time.”