22Participation requests
(1)A community participation body may make a request to a public service authority to permit the body to participate in an outcome improvement process.
(2)In making such a request, the community participation body must—
(a)specify an outcome that results from, or is contributed to by virtue of, the provision of a service provided to the public by or on behalf of the authority,
(b)set out the reasons why the community participation body considers it should participate in the outcome improvement process,
(c)provide details of any knowledge, expertise and experience the community participation body has in relation to the specified outcome, and
(d)provide an explanation of the improvement in the specified outcome which the community participation body anticipates may arise as a result of its participation in the process.
(3)Subsection (4) applies where a community participation body which is a group as mentioned in section 20(4) makes a participation request to a public service authority.
(4)The group must, in addition to complying with subsection (2), provide such information to the authority as the authority may require in order for it to be satisfied that the body meets the requirements to be such a group.
(5)A participation request may be made jointly by two or more community participation bodies.
(6)A participation request may include a request that one or more public service authorities other than the authority to which the request is made participate in the outcome improvement process along with the authority to which the request is made.
(7)In this Part—
“outcome improvement process”, in relation to a public service authority, means a process established or to be established by the authority with a view to improving an outcome that results from, or is contributed to by virtue of, the provision of a public service,
“participation request” means a request made under subsection (1),
“public service” means a service provided to the public by or on behalf of a public service authority,
“specified outcome” means an outcome of the type mentioned in subsection (2)(a).