Forests Improvement Fund Act (Act No. 12 of 1960)

E~!L.J.!:!E~2..V!l!EN..!.!!!lm ACT 1 1960 /illRANGEMEN'l' OF SECTIONS Section 1. Short title and oOUllllencement. z. tnte'rpl!etation 3. Establishment .of Fund. 4. Payments into Fund 5, Disbm-sements from Fund. 6. Aoeounts and audit. 7. Schemes of improvement. 8. Stool Land revenue. ~. Payment Of Forest fines. 10. Regulations. Assented .to in Her Majesty's Name and on Her Majesty's behalf this 29th day oft June, 1960. AN ACT to establish an improvement fund for forest reserves and to provide for the eontrol ot tho ravenuo dcrivea·rrom forG~t reserves. LISTOWE;L Governor-General.. BE IT ENACTED by the Queen'• Most lllx•$llent Mo;,j4,>a+;v-, by ;,,nd with -tho g,d•doo cind oonr:ion-l 0£ the National Assembly of Ghana in this present Parliament assembled, and by the authority of the same as follows: 1. 'Ibis Aet may be eited as the Forests Improvement Fund Act, 1960 and shall com~ into operation on the first da~ of July, 1<;16" 2, In this Aet unless the context otherwise requires "Administrator of Stool Lands" includes the Receiver of Stool revenue; "forest reserve" means a forest reserve constituted under section seventeen of the Forests O'l"d:l.nnno~ (Ciap.1$7) o~ under bye-laws made by a Local Authority; "Fund," means the FnnO i;!St~bli~hed i.utd.S!r r.ieetion three of this Aot; 1'Minister 11 means the Minister responsible f'or f'orP.sts in nnl"l"1nl·b:i+.inn ,.d f.h tho Minister responsible for Finance. "revenue" includea rents, dues, royalties, Establish ment of Fund. fees for silvicultw.·al work and f'inAR. 3, (1) There is hereby established a fund to be known as the Forests Improvement Fund whieh shall be under the control of the Minister responsible for forests. (2) All moneys in the Forest Reserves GBneral Deposit Account and &,J.}.y othe~ deposit account maintained for any forest reserve shall, on the coming into operation of this Aot a.na without further authority than this section, be transferred to the Accountant-General who shall open an Account for tho Fund. Short tit:!. c and com mencement .. Interpreta tion. '.P~~""l••~~to int0 Fund,. Disburse ... ment f:t:om Fund.· fa;oQunte Nld au.di t. Schemes of improve ment., 4.. All revenues• and other ~nts 1 i»l~ moneys fl'.'Cll'l the Goiw..J:?u:1 9g-4S:· • way of g,e: ttt .iJ)-a.i-d or endowinent or otherwise due in ~ of a.ny forest reserve shall be ~ollected by the Chief .Conservatol." of Forests" and paid into the Fund, $, (1) It shall be lawful for the Chief Conset"Vator of Forests with the prior approval of the M.utister to make payments from time to time from the Fund (a) for costs incurred in connectioll with exploitation and silvicultural work; and to·:·l.andownere o:£ forest reseffls, through tho appropriate authority, the royalties whieh by ~.\3:!11en:t the ~an'il,owner~ a+e ."'1ti tled to be paid. 6, (l) •'rho chief Conse!'1(ii.tor of Foro•ts shall keep proper reoorda in rela~Qn to the accounts and shall for ea.eh f'inar1ei!i.l year not later that tho m1ti"t1.etn ctay of' septembe,:, following the end of th• financial year prepare a statement ot aecoun~s in sueh form as the Aud.itor-.Gel'lera.t tD.ay direct. (2) The accounts shall be audited by the Auditor-General and published in such manner as the Jv'T'f.ni."'ter may- determine. (3) !!he Minister shall lay a cow of the statement of aoeounta prAp~~ed by the Chief Con~ervator of Forests with a copy of any repo~t made by the auditor on the statement of aeoounts before Parlii:i.mAnt. 7. '!'he Chief Conservator of' Fol:'esta shall on the earning into operation of this Act prepare a scheme eover:ing a period of not less than five and not more than ten years for the improvement of·forest reserves for the approval of the Ministmr. St•01 l, d revenue. 8, In the '~pplioation of thia ilct to fdrost :reserves aubjeot to the provisions of th• Akin Abuakwa (Stool Revenue) ,;.et,· 1958 (No,8), the Ashanti Stool Lands Act, 1958 (No,28) and the Stool Lands Control Act, !959 (no. 79) the Ch1e! Conse1'Vator of Foresta; shall be deemed to be acting for and on behalf of the Stool Lands Admini8trator for the-purposes of the colleotion of revenuo and acoo:rdingly any moneys in excess of the moneys spent by th~ Chief Conservator of Forests in the· improvement of sueh forest reserves including moneyis peiid tu l~dow,nr,rs fJha.11 be paid by the Chief Conservator of Forests to the Administrator of Stool Land.s under the sai!l Acts. 9. 1lny moneys pa.id by way of finos to a forest offioer or any moneys derived from the sale· of .forest produce or instruments seize"d '<X0.0.e:t the Forest Offences \CompounOi.llg of' Fines) Aet, 1959, (No.BJ) shall be paid · into the Fund and accordingly section four of that Act is her·eby .amended by substituting for the' Words 11Consolidatod Fund" the words 11:F'oreSts Improvement Fund 11 • 10. The Minister mew l>y. !eg1s!at1vo instrutnent make regulations prescri·bing the mo.de of oolleotion ot moneys due under this Act and the manner in whioh payments shall be made from the Fund. This printed impression has beetl carefully vumJ:1,u.,::oJ. lJ,y mr,o wl ttl· 'tUe Jjlll wn1cn nas passed the. National Assembly, and found by me to ba a true and correctly ,Pl':'inted copy of the said Bill. K. ll. AYEI\ISU Payment of Forest Regulations Clork of the National Assembly.