Commentary on Sections Business impact target Section 23: Duty on Secretary of State to publish reports
204.This section sets out the duty on the Secretary of State to publish reports covering the impact of qualifying regulatory provisions.
205.For a five year fixed-term Parliament, there are five reporting periods: the first period (between the general election and the 12 month anniversary of the Queens’ speech); three successive 12 month periods; and a final period ending at the next general election (subsection 7). Reports must be published within one month of the end of each reporting period, except for the final report which must be published before the dissolution of Parliament (subsection 10).
206.In the event of an early election held within 12 months of the start of the new Parliament, the reporting obligations are disapplied (see subsections (9) and (10) of section 21). For an early election held after that date, a final report would still be required, but one or more of the three annual reports may be omitted (depending on the timing of the election) (subsections (8) and (9)).
207.The reports, which must be laid before Parliament, must include:
208.The report must cover also cover two other topics: