The Secretary of State may, upon such terms and subject to such conditions as he may, with the approval of the Treasury, determine, give to a voluntary organisation to which this section applies assistance by way of grant or loan, or partly in the one way and partly in the other.

This section applies to a voluntary organisation whose activities consist in or include the provision of a service similar to a relevant service, the promotion or publicising of a relevant service or a similar one or the giving of advice with respect to the manner in which a relevant service or a similar one can best be provided.

In this section, “ relevant service ” means a service which must or may, by virtue of the National Health Service (Scotland) Act 1978, be provided or the provision of which must or may, by virtue of that Act, be secured by the Secretary of State, or a service for the provision of which a Health Board is, by virtue of that Act, under a duty to make arrangements.