67Recovery of public money expended on testing for minerals or research

#### 67 Recovery of public money expended on testing for minerals or research 67 Recovery of public money expended on testing for minerals or research > > (1) If public money has been expended— > > > > > (a) in the course of testing any land (by way of drilling or otherwise) for the mineral bearing capacity of the land, or > > > > > (b) in the course of conducting an environmental impact study or other research program in connection with the proper assessment of any application for a mining lease that has been or may be made in respect of any land, > > > > the Minister may, by notice in writing, require any applicant for a mining lease over the land or any part of the land to reimburse the Government, within the time specified in the notice, for the money, or any part of the money, so expended. > > > (2) The applicant may elect to pay— > > > > > (a) a lump sum of the amount specified in the notice as being the proportion of the cost (at current market rates) of carrying out the testing, impact study or research program that the Minister determines should be paid by the applicant, or > > > > > (b) instalments (of such amounts and paid at such times as may be specified in the notice) totalling the amount referred to in paragraph (a). > > > (3) It is a condition of any mining lease granted to an applicant who has been required to reimburse the Government under this section that any amount that remains unpaid as at the time the lease takes effect is to be paid to the Minister in accordance with the election made by the applicant. > > > (4) If public money has been expended in connection with several parcels of land, the amount so expended is to be apportioned among them in such manner as the Minister thinks fit.