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Housing (Wales) Measure 2011

Penalty

128.Sections 57 to 63 insert new sections 50H to 50N into the 1996 Act. These new sections describe the arrangements relating to the imposition of penalties on RSLs.

Section 57 - Grounds for imposition

129.This section inserts a new section 50H into the 1996 Act to specify the grounds on which the Welsh Ministers may decide to require RSLs to pay penalties. As well as being satisfied that one of the cases specified in this section applies, the Welsh Ministers must also be satisfied that a penalty is appropriate for the identified problem.

130.Subsections (2) to (6) of new section 50H specify the cases where the Welsh Ministers may issue a penalty. These cases are where:

  • the RSL has failed to meet a standard under section 33A;

  • the affairs of the RSL have been mismanaged;

  • the RSL has failed to comply with an enforcement notice;

  • the RSL has failed to comply with an undertaking that it has given to the Welsh Ministers;

  • where offences under Part 1 of the 1996 Act have been committed by the RSL.

131.Subsection (7) provides that where the Welsh Ministers are satisfied that an offence has been committed in respect of a RSL by another person, the case for imposing a penalty is that which is set out in subsection (6), and the Welsh Ministers may require that other person rather than the RSL to pay the penalty. This subsection also provides that, in such cases, references in Chapter 4A of the 1996 Act to a RSL should be read as references to that other person.

132.Subsection (8) requires the Welsh Ministers to be satisfied beyond reasonable doubt if they wish to rely on the case described in subsection (6) as a basis for the imposition of a penalty.

Section 58 - Imposition

133.This section inserts a new section 50I into the 1996 Act to provide that a penalty is imposed by a written notice being served on a RSL. Subsection (2) of new section 50I requires the notice to specify which of the cases listed in subsections (2) to (6) of section 50H of the 1996 Act is the basis for the notice, the amount of the penalty that must be paid, how the penalty must be paid, the deadline for the payment, and any interest or additional penalty payable in the event of late payment.

134.Subsection (3) allows the notice to require the RSL to publish information about the penalty. Subsection (4) requires the notice to explain the enforcement action that may be taken in the event of non-payment and the right to appeal to the High Court against the penalty.

Section 59 - Amount

135.This section inserts a new section 50J into the 1996 Act which provides that the amount of the penalty that may be imposed on the ground specified in Case 5 (where an offence has been committed by a RSL) of section 50H of the 1996 Act may not exceed the maximum amount that the court could impose for that offence. In all other cases the maximum amount of penalty that the Welsh Ministers may impose is £5,000. The Welsh Ministers may amend this maximum penalty of £5,000 by affirmative resolution order.

Section 60 - Warning

136.This section inserts a new section 50K into the 1996 Act which sets out a warning procedure which must be followed before a penalty notice can be imposed. The Welsh Ministers must give a RSL a notice, called a “pre-penalty warning”, which must specify the grounds on which they think a penalty could be imposed, warn the RSL that the Welsh Ministers are considering imposing a penalty, include any indication the Welsh Ministers can give of the likely amount, and explain the RSL’s right to make representations (section 50L of the 1996 Act), the enforcement action that  may be taken in relation to penalties (section 50M of the 1996 Act) and the RSL’s right to appeal against the penalty (section 50N of the 1996 Act).

137.Subsection (2) requires the Welsh Ministers to send any other person that it thinks appropriate, a copy of the pre-penalty warning. In deciding to whom it would be appropriate to send a copy, they must have particular regard to any person who provided information which has led to the giving of the pre-penalty warning.

138.Subsection (3) requires the Welsh Ministers to refer to section 6A of the 1996 Act (inserted by section 41 of this Measure and which permits RSL’s to offer voluntary undertakings) and indicate in its pre-penalty warning whether the Welsh Ministers would accept a voluntary undertaking instead of, or in mitigation of, a penalty.

139.Subsection (4) allows the Welsh Ministers to combine the pre-penalty warning with warnings about the use of its other enforcement powers.

Section 61 - Representations

140.This section inserts a new section 50L into the 1996 Act which allows RSLs issued with a pre-penalty warning to make representations to the Welsh Ministers.

141.Subsection (2) of the new section 50L specifies that the minimum period for representations must be at least 28 days, beginning on the date on which the RSL receives the pre-penalty warning.

142.The representations may address whether a penalty should be imposed, or the likely amount of any penalty

143.Subsection (4) provides that at the end of the period for representations the Welsh Ministers must consider any representations that have been made, and decide whether to impose a penalty.

Section 62 - Enforcement

144.This section inserts a new section 50M into the 1996 Act which specifies how penalties will be enforced, and provides sanctions for late payment or non-payment. Penalties are treated as a debt to the Welsh Ministers once a penalty notice is issued.

145.Subsection (2) of the new section 50M allows the Welsh Ministers to charge interest on penalties that are not paid by the date specified in the penalty notice and to impose additional penalties for late payment. In such cases, subsection (3) provides that the additional sums are also treated as penalties, and that these additional amounts may have the effect of increasing the penalty above the limit set by section 50J of the 1996 Act.

146.Subsection (4) gives a discretionary power to the Welsh Ministers to offer an early payment discount if the RSL pays the penalty in advance of the date specified in the penalty notice.

147.Subsection (5) specifies that if the penalty notice is served on a person under Case 5 of section 50H of the 1996 Act, that person may not be prosecuted for the offence which is the ground for requiring the payment of the penalty.

Section 63 - Appeal

148.This section inserts a new section 50N into the 1996 Act which gives a RSL the right to appeal to the High Court against the imposition of, and amount of, a penalty.

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Text created by the Welsh Assembly Government department responsible for the subject matter of the Measure to explain what the Measure sets out to achieve and to make the Measure accessible to readers who are not legally qualified. Explanatory Notes accompany all Measures of the National Assembly for Wales.

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