(1)Section 14 of the Health Service Commissioners Act 1993 (reports etc by Health Service Commissioner for England) is amended as follows.
(2)After subsection (2H) insert—
“(2HA)Where the Commissioner has not concluded an investigation before the end of the 12 month period beginning with the date the complaint was received, the Commissioner must send a statement explaining the reason for the delay to the person who made the complaint.”
(3)After subsection (4) insert—
“(4A)The general report laid under subsection (4)(a) must include information about—
(a)how long investigations that were concluded in the year to which the report relates took to be concluded,
(b)how many of those investigations took more than 12 months to be concluded, and
(c)the action being taken with a view to all investigations being concluded within 12 months.”