Part VIIIMiscellaneous
Environmental expenditure
153Financial 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.