Paragraph 2
76.Section 227M of the Criminal Procedure (Scotland) Act 1995 sets out what is required of local authorities and the Scottish Ministers in the arrangements for annual reports on community payback orders. Paragraph 2 amends section 227M and inserts a number of sub-sections to alter the existing arrangements for the submission and timing of reports. The effect of the amendments to section 227M is to require local authorities to submit their report to Community Justice Scotland rather than to the Scottish Ministers, and for Community Justice Scotland to collate the local authority reports into one summarised report which it will lay before the Parliament. The timing of the community payback reports is now to be aligned with the timing requirement for submission of annual performance reports in section 27 of the Act. The amendments also allow Community Justice Scotland to produce the collated community payback order report alongside, or as part of, the report on performance under section 27 of the Act.