4 July 2006
31.This section requires the Director General of the Agency to prepare an 'annual plan' at least 3 months before the beginning of each financial year setting out how the Agency intends to carry out its functions and submit it to the Authority. The annual plan must include:
the strategic priorities set by the Scottish Ministers (subsection (2)(a));
details of any directions made by the Scottish Ministers under section 30 (subsection (2)(b));
a statement of the financial resources that will be available to the Agency over the course of that year (subsection (2)(c));
a statement of how the Director General intends to allocate the funding (subsection (2)(d)).
32.Subsection (3) requires the Authority to approve the plan either as submitted or with modifications as it considers appropriate within 2 months of the plan being submitted to it. Subsection (4) ensures that the Authority cannot make any modifications which would impinge on the operational independence of the Agency. Subsection (5) makes it clear that it is the Director General’s responsibility to publish and circulate the annual plan once it has been approved. Circulation must include those persons listed at subsection (6).