Local Government Act (Northern Ireland) 2014

Duty of council or executive to respond to overview and scrutiny committee

32.—(1) This section applies where an overview and scrutiny committee of a council makes a report or recommendations to the council or the executive.

(2) The overview and scrutiny committee may publish the report or recommendations.

(3) The overview and scrutiny committee must by notice in writing require the council or executive—

(a) to consider the report or recommendations;

(b) to respond to the overview and scrutiny committee indicating what (if any) action the council, or the executive, proposes to take;

(c) if the overview and scrutiny committee has published the report or recommendations under subsection (2), to publish the response; and

(d) if the overview and scrutiny committee provided a copy of the report or recommendations to a councillor under section 31(4), to provide the councillor with a copy of the response.

(4) The notice served under subsection (3) must require the council or executive to comply with it within two months beginning with the date on which the council or executive received the report or recommendations or (if later) the notice unless, in accordance with standing orders, the overview and scrutiny committee deems the notice to require a prompt response in which case the notice must require the council or the executive to comply within one month.

(5) It is the duty of a council or executive to which a notice is given under subsection (3) to comply with the requirements specified in the notice.

(6) Subsections (2) and (5) are subject to section 33 and to any provision made under section 35(3) (confidential and exempt information).

(7) In this section—

(a) references to an overview and scrutiny committee include references to a sub-committee of such a committee;

(b) references to “the council” or “the executive”, in relation to an overview and scrutiny committee, or a sub-committee of such a committee, are to the council by which the overview and scrutiny committee is established or to the executive of that council.