These notes refer to the Modern Slavery Act 2015 (c. 30)
which received Royal Assent on 26 March 2015
204. Subsection (8) requires the Commissioner to provide a report on the activities they have undertaken to fulfil their functions as soon as is reasonably practicable after the end of each financial year to the Secretary of State, Scottish Ministers and the Department of Justice in Northern Ireland.
205. Subsection (9) provides that in producing an annual report the Commissioner must include an assessment of the extent to which the Commissioner has met the objectives and priorities they set out in their annual plan. The Commissioner must also include a statement of the matters on which the Commissioner has reported under section 41(3)(a) and a statement of the other activities they have undertaken in the year in carrying out their functions.
206. Subsections (10), (11) and (12) require the Secretary of State, Scottish Ministers and the Department of Justice in Northern Ireland to lay any strategic plan the Secretary of State approves and any annual report they receive from the Commissioner before Parliament, the Scottish Parliament and the Northern Ireland Assembly respectively, as soon as reasonably practicable after receipt.
207. Subsection (13) provides that any annual report that is laid before a legislature under Subsections (10) to (12) must not contain any material which has been removed from the report under subsections (14) to (17).
208. Subsection (14) gives the Secretary of State the power to remove information from an annual report where the Secretary of State thinks that including it would be against the interests of national security, might jeopardise an individual’s safety in England and Wales or might prejudice a criminal investigation or prosecution under the law in England and Wales.
209. Subsection (15) gives Scottish Ministers the power to remove material from an annual report where the Scottish Ministers think that it might jeopardise the safety of any person in Scotland, or might prejudice the investigation of an offence under the law of Scotland. Subsection (16) gives the Lord Advocate the power to remove material from an annual report where the Lord Advocate thinks that it might prejudice the prosecution of an offence under the law of Scotland.
210. Subsection (17) gives the Department of Justice in Northern Ireland the power to remove information from an annual report where the Department thinks that it might jeopardise the safety of any person in Northern Ireland, or might prejudice the investigation or prosecution of an offence under the law of Northern Ireland
Section 43 and Schedule 3: Duty to co-operate with Commissioner
211. Subsection (1) provides that the Commissioner may request co-operation from a specified public authority where the Commissioner considers that the co-operation is necessary for the purposes of the Commissioner’s functions.
212. Subsection (2) provides that a specified public authority, where it is reasonably practicable to do so, must comply with any request for co-operation made to it by the Commissioner.
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