Vocational Education Act, 1930

Grants by rating authorities.

51.—(1) Where a vocational education committee, with the consent of the Minister, proposes to incur or has incurred expense under this Act on works of a permanent character, the rating authority for the vocational education area of such committee may, with the consent of the Minister for Local Government and Public Health, make a grant to such committee of the whole or part of such expense (whether the same has or has not then been actually incurred) or of any undischarged balance owing by such committee in respect of such works or of moneys borrowed to meet the expense thereof.

(2) Where a vocational education committee is, by virtue of this Act, under a liability in respect of a loan contracted before the passing of this Act and expended on works of a permanent character, the rating authority for the vocational education area of such committee may, with the consent of the Minister for Local Government and Public Health, at any time make a grant to such committee for or towards the discharge of the amount of such liability then outstanding.

(3) A grant made by a rating authority to a vocational education committee under this section shall be applied by such committee for the purpose for which such grant was made and for no other purpose.

(4) A rating authority may borrow for the purposes of making a grant under this section—

(a) in the case of the council of a county, as if those purposes were purposes for which it is authorised to borrow under Article 22 of the Schedule to the Local Government (Application of Enactments) Order, 1898, and money borrowed under this section by the council of a county for the purposes of any such grant shall not be reckoned as part of the total debt of such council for the purposes of the said Article; and

(b) in the case of the council of a county borough or a scheduled urban district, as if those purposes were purposes for which it is authorised to borrow under the Public Health (Ireland) Act, 1878, and money borrowed under this section by such council for the purposes of any such grant shall not be reckoned as part of the total debt of such council for the purposes of any limitation on its borrowing powers.

(5) A rating authority borrowing money for the purposes of making a grant under this section may where it so thinks proper borrow such money from the Commissioners of Public Works in Ireland and those Commissioners may, if they think fit, lend such money to such rating authority under the Public Works (Ireland) Acts, 1831 to 1886, and notwithstanding anything in those Acts such loan may be made for such term as the Commissioners think fit.

(6) Whenever a rating authority which has borrowed money for the purpose of making a grant under this section pays any sum in repayment of the money so borrowed or in payment of the interest thereon, the Minister may, with the consent of the Minister for Finance and out of moneys provided by the Oireachtas, make to such rating authority in aid of the rate or fund out of which such sum was so paid by such rating authority a payment of such amount as the Minister with the consent aforesaid shall think proper but not exceeding one-half of the said sum so paid by such rating authority.