Supplies and Services (Temporary Provisions) Act, 1946

Power of Government to make certain orders.

2.—(1) The Government may, whenever and so often as they think fit, do, by order, all or any of the following things, that is to say:—

(a) authorise and provide for the regulation and control by or on behalf of the State of all or any supplies or services which are, in the opinion of the Government, essential to the life of the community, and, where the Government so thinks proper, the maintenance and provision of such essential supplies by or on behalf of the State and the provision and operation of such essential services by or on behalf of the State;

(b) authorise and provide for the control, regulation, restriction or prohibition of the import or the export of particular kinds or classes of goods;

(c) authorise and provide for the acquisition (either by agreement or compulsorily) by or on behalf of the State of any currency (other than Irish currency), bills, credits, and balances, payable otherwise than in Irish currency, gold coin and bullion, and securities, and for the ascertainment of the price to be paid therefor in the case of compulsory acquisition, and for the control and restriction of dealings in any currency, bills, credits and balances payable otherwise than in Irish currency, gold coin and bullion, and securities, and for the control and restriction of payments by residents in the State to persons abroad, and for the prohibition and restriction of imports of currency notes (other than Irish currency notes);

(d) make such provisions with respect to the cultivation, management or use of land as are, in the opinion of the Government, necessary or expedient for increasing or maintaining the production in the State of articles which are, in the opinion of the Government, essential to the life of the community, including, in particular, provisions corresponding to those contained in the Emergency Powers (No. 366) Order, 1945 (S.R.&O., No. 251 of 1945);

(e) authorise the maintenance and provision by local authorities of supplies which are, in the opinion of the Government, essential to the life of the community, and the provision and operation of services which are, in the opinion of the Government, essential to the life of the community, and the acquisition, taking possession, control or user (either by agreement or compulsorily) by local authorities of any land which is necessary to enable them to maintain such supplies or operate such services;

(f) authorise and provide for the guarantee by the State of the principal of and interest on any borrowings by corporate bodies engaged in the provision of supplies and services which are, in the opinion of the Government, essential to the life of the community;

(g) provide for the reduction or suspension of customs duties on particular articles.

(2) Whenever the Government makes an order under this section, the Government may, in lieu of making provision for or doing any particular thing in or by such order, authorise or empower by such order a Minister or any other person specified or indicated in such order to make the said provision or do the said thing and for that purpose (subject to such (if any) conditions and consents as may be specified in such order) to make such orders or regulations, grant or issue such authorisations and give such directions as shall appear to such Minister or person to be necessary or proper for the said purpose.

(3) An order made by the Government under this section may contain all such incidental or ancillary provisions as shall appear to the Government to be necessary or expedient for giving full effect to any provision inserted in such order under the powers conferred on the Government by the foregoing provisions of this section.