The Act Commentary on Sections Part 1: Regulation of biometric data Section 21: Reports by Commissioner
134.Subsections (1) and (2) require that the Commissioner make an annual report to the Secretary of State and enables the Commissioner to make such other reports on any matter relating to the Commissioner’s functions. The Secretary of State may also, at any time, commission a report from the Commissioner on any matter relating to the retention and use of biometric material by law enforcement authorities for national security purposes (subsection (3)). The Secretary of State is required to lay any report from the Commissioner before Parliament, but before doing so he or she may exclude from publication any part of the report which would, in his or her opinion, be contrary to the public interest or prejudicial to national security (subsections (4) and (5)).