Chequers Estate Act 1917

8After the death of the survivor of the settlor and Lady Lee or such earlier date at which they or the survivor of them may have surrendered their his or her rights in the Chequers Estate and the Chequers Trust Fund the Administrative Trustees shall administer the said hereditaments hereby conveyed and the said furniture pictures tapestry books manuscripts china relics works of art silver linen and other effects hereby assigned and also the income of the Chequers Trust Fund according to the following trusts viz. :—

(a)As to the Mansion House and grounds and the said furniture pictures tapestry books manuscripts china relics works of art silver linen and other effects hereby assigned upon trust to keep the same in good repair and condition with a staff of not less than four resident indoor servants and with the necessary number of gardeners and labourers and properly warmed and lighted and generally in a fit state as a furnished residence fit for occupation and upon further trust to permit and suffer the Prime Minister for the time being to occupy use and enjoy the same as a furnished country residence for such periods continuous or discontinuous as he may in his absolute discretion think fit.

(b)But if any Prime Minister shall decline to avail himself of the rights hereby conferred upon him then so long as he shall so decline similar rights shall be offered by the Administrative Trustees to the following persons and in the following order viz. :—

• The Chancellor of the Exchequer for the time being

• The Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs for the time being

• The Secretary of State for the Colonies for the time being

• The United States Ambassador at the Court of Saint James's for the time being

• The President of the Board of Agriculture and Fisheries for the time being

• The First Lord of the Admiralty for the time being

• The Secretary of State for War for the time being

• The Speaker of the House of Commons for the time being

• The Lord Chief Justice of England for the time being

or to the respective persons for the time being holding similar positions to the above :

Provided that it shall be lawful for the Prime Minister at any time (notwithstanding that he may have declined to avail himself of the rights hereby conferred upon him) to occupy use and enjoy the said mansion house and premises on his giving to the Administrative Trustees three calendar months' notice in writing of his intention so to do.

(c)As to the Chequers Farms the Administrative Trustees shall permit and suffer the same or such of them as may be mutually agreed upon to be occupied and carried on as model farms by the Board of Agriculture and Fisheries or such other Board or Minister of State as shall for the time being hare the general conduct of the agricultural interests of the State along with all such stock live and dead belonging to the settlor as may be upon such farms at the death of the settlor (but reserving the right to cut and sell timber and timber trees) rent free but upon the terms that if any net profit be made in any year by the said Board or Minister by the working of the said farms collectively or of such of them as such Board or Minister may accept then that such net profit shall be handed over to the Administrative Trustees to be applied by them as income of the Chequers Trust Fund.

(d)But if the said Board of Agriculture and Fisheries or Minister shall at any time refuse to carry on the said farms or shall accept some only of them or shall after the acceptance of all or any of them desire at any time to surrender them or any of them then and in any and every such case the Administrative Trustees may either arrange to farm the land themselves or shall lease or let the said farms to any person or persons or body or bodies corporate at a fair agricultural rent for such terms of years and upon such conditions and generally in such manner as the Administrative Trustees shall in their absolute discretion consider proper and desirable (but reserving the right to cut and sell timber and timber trees) and if required the custodian trustee shall join in any such lease for the purpose of passing the legal estate to the tenant or lessee for the term granted.

(e)As to the income of the Chequers Trust Fund the Administrative Trustees shall apply the same from time to time to the following purposes or any of them viz. :—

(i)In payment of the annual fees of the Public Trustee and of rates and other necessary outgoings and expenses ;

(ii)In payment of the wages and board wages of not less than four resident indoor servants at Chequers ;

(iii)In the upkeep of the gardens and pleasure grounds including the wages of gardeners and labourers the annual sum thus expended not to exceed five hundred pounds ;

(iv)In the repair and maintenance of the buildings of or occupied in connection with Chequers and grounds ;

(v)In the maintenance and renovation of the furniture and fixtures at Chequers and the purchase where deemed necessary of new or additional furniture for which purpose mot less than one hundred pounds shall be set aside in each year and accumulated until wanted ;

(vi)In payment of any expenses of the Administrative Trustees necessarily incurred by them;

(vii)In payment to the Prime Minister or other official occupant for the time being of the mansion house and grounds of a sum of fifteen pounds for every week end actually spent by him at Chequers to cover any expenses thereby incurred by him for which purpose a " week end " shall be deemed to be any continuous period of not less than thirty-six hours during any seven consecutive days:

Provided that if the income shall at any time be more than sufficient to meet the above-mentioned current payments and to make reasonable provision for the expenditure occurring only at longer intervals than a year such surplus shall be , used in increasing the said payment above marked (vii).