Dormant Bank and Building Society Accounts Act 2008

Strategic plans for Northern Ireland

4 (1) If instructed to do so by the Department of Finance and Personnel in Northern Ireland (“the Department”), the Big Lottery Fund shall—

(a) prepare and adopt a strategic plan for Northern Ireland,

(b) review and modify any such plan that it has adopted, or

(c) replace any such plan that it has adopted by preparing and adopting another.

(2) In this paragraph “strategic plan for Northern Ireland” means a statement containing the Fund’s policies for the distribution of dormant account money for meeting Northern Ireland expenditure.

(3) A strategic plan for Northern Ireland must include—

(a) a statement of any directions under section 22 given to the Fund by the Department;

(b) a statement of the Fund’s assessment of the needs in Northern Ireland that the Fund has power to deal with, in whole or in part, by distributing dormant account money;

(c) a statement of the Fund’s priorities in dealing with those needs by the distribution of dormant account money.

(4) A strategic plan for Northern Ireland must be such as to demonstrate how the Fund is complying with any directions to which sub-paragraph (3)(a) applies.

(5) Before adopting a strategic plan for Northern Ireland, the Fund shall—

(a) consult such other bodies as it thinks fit for the purpose of identifying the needs mentioned in sub-paragraph (3)(b) and formulating the policies to be adopted for dealing with those needs;

(b) prepare a draft of the proposed plan;

(c) send a copy of the draft to the Department;

(d) after consultation with the Department, make such modifications to the draft as it considers necessary or expedient.

(6) Where the Fund adopts a strategic plan for Northern Ireland—

(a) the Fund shall send copies of the document containing the plan to the Department;

(b) the Department shall lay a copy of the document before the Northern Ireland Assembly.