Commentary on Sections Part 2: Registered Social Landlords Amendments relating to inquiries or audits Section 82 - Acting while disqualified
192.This section makes a number of amendments to paragraph 26 of Schedule 1 to the 1996 Act.
193.The effect of the amendment in subsection (2) is to increase the period for which a person guilty of an offence of acting as an officer of a RSL while disqualified may be imprisoned on summary conviction. At present, such a person may be imprisoned for up to six months, but subsection (2) will enable such a person to be imprisoned for up to 12 months.
194.The effect of subsection (3) is to prevent this increased period of imprisonment from being imposed in relation to an offence committed before section 282 of the Criminal Justice Act 2003 has been commenced.
195.Under paragraph 26 of Schedule 1 to the 1996 Act, the Welsh Ministers may order a person to repay sums to a RSL or to the Welsh Ministers where that person has acted as an officer of that landlord while disqualified and has received payments or benefits in connection with that role. Subsection (4) inserts a new sub-paragraph into paragraph 26 to enable the landlord or the Welsh Ministers to recover that sum as a debt if the disqualified person fails to comply with an order.