Domestic Abuse Act 2021

Strategic plans and annual reports

13 Strategic plans

(1) The Commissioner must, as soon as reasonably practicable after the Commissioner’s appointment, prepare and publish a strategic plan.

(2) A strategic plan is a plan setting out how the Commissioner proposes to exercise the Commissioner’s functions in the period to which the plan relates, which must be not less than one year and not more than three years.

(3) A strategic plan must in particular—

(a) state the Commissioner’s objectives and priorities for the period to which the plan relates;

(b) state any matters on which the Commissioner proposes to report under section 8 during that period;

(c) state any other activities the Commissioner proposes to undertake during that period in the exercise of the Commissioner’s functions.

(4) The Commissioner must, before the end of the period to which a strategic plan relates (“the current period”)—

(a) prepare a strategic plan for a period immediately following the current period, and

(b) publish that plan.

(5) At any time during the period to which a strategic plan relates, the Commissioner—

(a) may revise the strategic plan, and

(b) must publish any revised plan.

(6) In preparing or revising a strategic plan, the Commissioner must consult—

(a) the Secretary of State,

(b) the Advisory Board established under section 12, and

(c) such other persons as the Commissioner considers appropriate.

(7) The Commissioner must arrange for a copy of any plan (or revised plan) published under this section to be laid before Parliament.

14 Annual reports

(1) As soon as reasonably practicable after the end of each financial year, the Commissioner must submit to the Secretary of State an annual report on the exercise of the Commissioner’s functions during the year.

(2) The annual report must include—

(a) an assessment of the extent to which the Commissioner’s objectives and priorities have been met in that year;

(b) a statement of the matters on which the Commissioner has reported under section 8 during the year;

(c) a statement of the other activities the Commissioner has undertaken during the year in the exercise of the Commissioner’s functions.

(3) The Commissioner must arrange for a copy of every annual report under this section to be laid before Parliament (but see subsection (4)).

(4) The Secretary of State may direct the Commissioner to omit material from any report under this section before it is laid before Parliament if the Secretary of State thinks the publication of that material—

(a) might jeopardise the safety of any person, or

(b) might prejudice the investigation or prosecution of an offence.

(5) The Secretary of State must consult the Commissioner before making any direction under subsection (4).

(6) In this section “financial year” means—

(a) the period beginning with the day on which the first Domestic Abuse Commissioner takes office and ending with the following 31 March, and

(b) each successive period of 12 months.