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Guidance and plans: timing. |
24. - (1) This section applies to guidance under section 21 and plans under section 22. |
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(2) The guidance in relation to the Council's first financial year must be prepared as soon as is reasonably practicable after the year starts. |
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(3) The guidance in relation to any subsequent financial year of the Council must be prepared in time for the guidance to be issued under section 21, and a plan to be published under section 22, before the financial year starts. |
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(4) The plan for the Council's first financial year must be prepared as soon as is reasonably practicable after the year starts. |
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(5) The plan for any subsequent financial year of the Council must be prepared in time for the plan to be published under section 22 before the financial year starts. |
| Miscellaneous |
Directions. |
25. - (1) The Secretary of State may give directions to the Council; and the directions may include any provisions described in subsections (2) to (4). |
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(2) Directions may contain- |
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(a) objectives which the Council should achieve in seeking to carry out its functions; |
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(b) time limits within which the Council should achieve the objectives; |
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(c) provision relating to the management of the Council. |
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(3) Subsection (4) applies if the Secretary of State is satisfied that the Council- |
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(a) has failed to discharge a duty imposed by or under any Act, or |
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(b) has acted or is proposing to act unreasonably with respect to the exercise of a power conferred or the performance of a duty imposed by or under any Act. |
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(4) In such a case directions may contain such provision as the Secretary of State thinks fit as to the exercise of the Council's powers and performance of its duties. |
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(5) Directions may contain provision described in subsection (4) despite any enactment making the exercise of a power or performance of a duty contingent on the Council's opinion. |
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(6) Directions may not concern the provision of financial resources in respect of activities carried on by a particular person or persons. |
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(7) If the Secretary of State asks the Council to do so, it must advise him on the formulation of objectives and time limits. |
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(8) The Council must comply with any directions given to it by the Secretary of State. |
Committees. |
26. Schedule 3 contains provisions about committees. |
Grants to Council. |
27. - (1) The Secretary of State may make grants to the Council of such amounts and subject to such conditions as he thinks fit; and the conditions may include any provisions described below. |
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(2) The conditions may set the Council's budget for any of its financial years. |
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(3) The conditions may- |
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(a) require the Council to use the grants for specified purposes; |
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(b) require the Council to comply with specified requirements in respect of every person (or every person of a specified class or description) in securing the provision of specified financial resources to such persons; |
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(c) enable the Secretary of State to require the repayment, in whole or in part, of sums paid by him if any condition imposed is not complied with; |
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(d) require the payment of interest in respect of any period during which a sum due to the Secretary of State in accordance with any condition remains unpaid. |
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(4) Requirements which may be imposed under subsection (3)(b) include in particular requirements that, if the Council itself provides specified financial resources, it is to impose specified conditions. |
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(5) The Secretary of State may not impose conditions which relate to the Council's securing of the provision of financial resources to a particular person or persons. |
Annual report. |
28. - (1) As soon as is reasonably practicable after the end of each financial year of the Council it must prepare a report on its activities in that year and send a copy of the report to the Secretary of State. |
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(2) A report- |
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(a) must be in such form and contain such information as the Secretary of State may specify in directions to the Council; |
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(b) must set out any other directions given to the Council under this Part in the financial year to which the report relates. |
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(3) Following receipt of a copy of a report under this section the Secretary of State must lay a copy of it before each House of Parliament and arrange for copies of it to be published in such manner as he thinks appropriate. |