Postal Services Act 2000

The Commission and the Council

59 Provision of information by the Council to the Commission

(1) The Council shall, as soon as practicable after being required to do so by the Commission, provide to the Commission such information relating to the exercise of the Commission’s functions as the Commission may require.

(2) The Secretary of State may by order specify—

(a) descriptions of information which the Council may refuse to provide under this section, and

(b) circumstances in which the Council may refuse to provide information under this section.

(3) Where the Council refuses to provide any information under this section, it shall give notice to the Commission of the reason for its refusal and the Commission may publish that notice in such manner as it considers appropriate.

60 Memorandum of understanding

(1) The Commission and the Council shall make arrangements with a view to securing—

(a) co-operation and the exchange of information between them, and

(b) consistent treatment of matters which affect both of them.

(2) As soon as practicable after agreement is reached on those arrangements, the Commission and the Council shall prepare a memorandum setting them out and send a copy of it to the Secretary of State.

(3) Arrangements under this section shall be kept under review by the Commission and the Council.

(4) As soon as practicable after agreement is reached on any changes to those arrangements, the Commission and the Council shall revise their memorandum and send a copy of the revised memorandum to the Secretary of State.

(5) The Secretary of State shall lay before each House of Parliament a copy of any document received by him under this section.

61 Forward work programmes

(1) The Commission and the Council shall, before each financial year, each publish a document (“the forward work programme”) containing a general description of the projects, other than those comprising routine activities in the exercise of its functions, which it plans to undertake during the year.

(2) That description shall, in particular, include—

(a) the objectives of each project, and

(b) an estimate of the overall expenditure which the Commission or the Council expects to incur during the year in undertaking the projects.

(3) Before publishing the forward work programme for any year, the Commission or the Council shall—

(a) give notice of the draft forward work programme, and

(b) consider any representations made in accordance with the notice and not withdrawn.

(4) The notice shall—

(a) contain a draft of the forward work programme, and

(b) specify the period within which representations may be made about the proposals contained in it.

(5) A notice under this section shall be given by—

(a) serving a copy of the notice on the Secretary of State, and the Council or (as the case may be) the Commission, and

(b) publishing the notice in such manner as the Commission or (as the case may be) the Council considers appropriate for the purpose of bringing the matters to which the notice relates to the attention of persons likely to be affected by them.