Strategy for tertiary education and research
Section 13: Statement of strategic priorities
61.This section places the Welsh Ministers under a duty to publish a statement setting out their strategic priorities for tertiary education and research and innovation. The statement may be amended or replaced by the Welsh Ministers. Any amendments must be published.
Section 14: Strategic plan for the Commission
62.This section places the Commission under a duty to prepare a strategic plan setting out how it intends to discharge its strategic duties and to address the priorities in the statement of strategic priorities published by the Welsh Ministers (subsection (1)). In preparing the plan, the Commission must consult such persons it considers appropriate (subsection (2)).
Section 15: Approval, publication and implementation of strategic plan
63.A strategic plan prepared under section 14 must be sent to the Welsh Ministers for approval within six months of the publication of the Welsh Ministers’ statement of priorities under section 13 (subsection (1)).
64.The Welsh Ministers have the power to approve the plan with or without modifications, although they must seek the agreement of the Commission for each modification they propose making to the plan before they modify the plan (subsections (2) and (3)).
65.The Welsh Ministers may approve a plan with modifications that have not been agreed by the Commission, however they must provide the Commission with the reasons for the modifications and the Commission must publish those reasons when it publishes the plan as required by subsection (5).
66.Subsection (6) provides that the Commission may discharge its duty to publish its statement about well-being objectives under section 7 of the Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015 (anaw 2) by including the statement in its approved strategic plan.
67.Subsection (7) places a duty on the Commission to take all reasonable steps to implement the strategic plan.
Section 16: Review of strategic plan
68.This section outlines the process to be followed by the Commission in reviewing and revising its strategic plan.
69.The Commission must review its strategic plan if the Welsh Ministers publish amendments to its statement of strategic priorities under section 13 after the Commission has published its approved strategic plan. The Commission also has the power to review its strategic plan at any other time.
70.Where any review of the strategic plan leads to the plan being revised, section 14 applies to any revision of the plan as it applies to preparation of the plan.
71.A revised strategic plan must be sent to the Welsh Ministers for approval within six months where the revision is in consequence of the Welsh Ministers publishing amendments to their statement under section 14(2); or where the revision is in consequence of the Commission reviewing its strategic plan at any other time, as soon as reasonably practicable. The provisions of section 15(2) to (6) apply to a revised plan.
