Commentary on Sections Part 1, Chapter 3 – Miscellaneous Provision Section 34: Report on the operation of this Part
This section requires the Department of Justice to prepare a report on the operation of the domestic abuse offence, child aggravators and generic aggravator.
Subsection (2) sets out that the report is to set out a range of information including: the number of offences recorded by the Police Service of Northern Ireland (broken down by police district); the number of files submitted to the Public Prosecution Service; prosecutions; convictions; and the average length of time for disposal of cases.
Subsection (3) provides that the report must include information about the level of training under section 32.  Subsection (3) and (4) set out that the report must also include information about how court business is arranged; the experience at court of witnesses; awareness raising; activities to support the operation of Part 1; any issuing, review or revision of guidance by the Department under section 28; and anything else considered appropriate by the Department.
Subsection (5) also requires the report to be laid at the Assembly and published.
Subsection (6) provides that there are ongoing reporting requirements, with each reporting period three years after the previous one.  The first reporting period is two to three years after Chapters 1 and 2 come into operation.  The reporting requirement would no longer apply if regulations to this effect were brought forward, with ten years after the domestic abuse offence comes into operation being the earliest that this can take effect.