Naval Works Act 1896
Parliament of the United Kingdom
1374279Naval Works Act 18961896Parliament of the United Kingdom

From the The Public General Statutes (1986),

CHAPTER 6.

An Act to make provision for the Construction of Works in the United Kingdom and elsewhere for the purpose of the Royal Navy.
[31st March 1896.]

Most Gracious Sovereign,
58 & 59 Vict. c. 35.WHEREAS it is expedient to make provision for the construction of the works specified in the schedule to this Act, both in the United Kingdom and in the colonies in the schedule mentioned:

And whereas the said schedule sets forth estimates, of the cost of those works, of the time within which they are to be completed, of the amount expended thereon, and of the amount required for the expenditure thereon during the financial year ending the thirty-first day of March one thousand eight hundred and ninety-seven:

And whereas money for the construction of some of the said works was granted by the Appropriation Act, 1894, said by the Naval Works Act, 1895, and the sum of one million pounds granted by the latter Act will soon have been wholly expended:

And whereas it is expedient to make further provision for the construction of those works and also to make provision for the construction of the other works specified in the schedule to this Act:

Now we, Your Majesty's most dutiful and loyal Subjects the Commons of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Land in Parliament assembled, having considered the premises and being desirous to provide forthwith for the construction of the said works, have cheerfully granted to Your Majesty a further sum of two million seven hundred and fifty thousand pounds, to be paid out of the Consolidated Fund, towards defraying the expenses incurred or to be incurred for the said construction, and we have resolved that the said sum may be provided as herein-after mentioned; and we do most humbly beseech Your Majesty that it may be enacted, and be it enacted by the Queen's most Excellent Majesty, by and with the advice and consent of the Lords Spiritual and Temporal, and Commons, in this present Parliament assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:

Power for Admiralty to construct scheduled works.1. The Admiralty may forthwith proceed with the construction of the works specified in the schedule to this Act at the places therein mentioned, and for that purpose may acquire such lands and execute such works as they may deem expedient.

Issue of money out of Consolidated Fund for purposes of Act. 2. In addition to the sums authorised by any other Act to be issued, the Treasury shall issue out of the Consolidated Fund or the growing produce thereof such sums not exceeding in the whole the sum of two million seven hundred and fifty thousand pounds as may be required by the Admiralty for the purposes of this Act.

Restrictions on applications of money issued. 3.— (1.) Before any moneys are issued for the purpose of expenditure under any one of the heads in the schedule to this Act, the Admiralty shall submit to the Treasury an estimate, with such details as may be required by the Treasury, of the expenditure under that head for which it is for the time being proposed to issue money, and shall therewith state the period within which it is proposed to expend the money so issued.

(2.) There shall be no excess of any expenditure for any work specified in the schedule above the amount stated for that work in the fifth column of the schedule, unless the Treasury and Admiralty are satisfied that the excess will be compensated by savings on the expenditure specified in that column of the schedule for other works so that no excess will be caused over the total expenditure specified in the fifth column of the schedule; and in such cases the savings may be applied in payment of the excess.

Application of surplus income of year 1895-6 for expenses of scheduled works 4. Such sum as is shown by the account certified by the Comptroller and Auditor-General under section four of the Sinking Fund Act, 1875, to be the surplus of income above expenditure for the financial year ending the thirty-first day of March one thousand eight hundred and ninety-six shall instead of being applied as provided by the above-mentioned Act38 & 39 Vict c. 45., be set apart in the Exchequer account and applied by the Treasury at such times as they direct, as follows:

(a) in paying off with interest any sum borrowed under the Naval Works Act, 189658 & 59 Vict. c.35.;
(b) in repaying to the Consolidated Fund any sums issued in pursuance of the Naval Works Act, 1895, and not already repaid;
(c) in paying any sums authorised by this or any future Act to be issued out of the Consolidated Fund for the purpose of the works specified in the schedule to this Act.

Accounts of expenditure 5.—(1.) The Admiralty shall cause to be made out an account in the form required by the Treasury, showing-:—

(a) the aggregate amount of money expended for any purpose of this Act or of the Naval Works Act, 1895, and the purposes on which that money was expended, distinguishing the expenditure under each of the heads in the schedule to this Act;
(b) the aggregate amount of money borrowed and repaid, and securities (if any) created for borrowing the same and discharged; and
(c) the balance (if any) of the sums authorised to be issued for any such purpose.

(2.) The accounts of expenditure under this Act shall be audited and reported upon by the Comptroller and Auditor-General as appropriation accounts in manner directed by the Exchequer and Audit Departments Act, 186629 & 30 Vict. c. 39.

Short title6. This Act may be cited as the Naval Works Act, 1896.


SCHEDULE.

Heads of Proposed Expenditure.

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.
(a.) Enclosure and Defence of Harbours £ £ £ £  
Gibraltar. 1,074,000 24,148 123,000 300,000 1899-1900
Portland 660,000[1] 50,000 200,000 1900-1
Dover 1,920,000[2] 150,000 1905-6
(b.) Adapting Naval Ports to present Needs of Fleet—        
Deepening harbours and approaches. 960,000 98,979 268,060 300,000 1898-9
Keyham Dockyard extension (including 175,000l. for Fixed Machinery). 3,175,900 350 10,000 500,000 1903-4
Portsmouth Docks 375,000 101,165 200,000 71,000 1896-7
Gibraltar Dockyard extension (including 68,000l. for Fixed Machinery). 2,674,000 3,779 60,000 300,000 1899-1900
Hong Kong do. do. (including 20.000l. for Fixed Machinery). 340,000 80,000 1900-1
(c.) Naval Barracks. &c.-
Chatham Naval Barracks
390,000 2,345 1,000 200,000 1898-9
Portsmouth do. 595,000 150,000 1900-1
Keyham do. 160,000 50,000 1899-1900
Chatham Naval Hospital 341,000 100,000 1899-1900
Walmer Marine Depot 20,000 13,600 5,000 1896-7
Keyham Engineers' College 30,000 5,000 25,000 1896-7
Dartmouth College for Naval Cadets. 196,000 60,000 1899-1900
Magazines (including 25,000l. for Fixed Machinery). 485,000 150,000 1899-1900
(d.) Superintendence and Miscellaneous Charges. 655,000 17,000 106,000
£ 14,040,000 231,266 749,000 2,730,000
  1. • An expenditure of 40,543l. was incurred during 1893-4 and 1894-5, in erecting dolphins on the line of the breakwater and was charged to Vote 10 in those years. This is in addition to the estimate of 660,000 l.
  2. †Subject to revision when the survey is completed