Functions of responsible officer as regards reports
F3.—(1) The person having responsibility for the administration of the financial affairs of the Authority under article F1 above shall have the duties mentioned in this article, without prejudice to any other functions; and in this article he is referred to as the chief finance officer of the Authority.
(2) The chief finance officer of the Authority shall make a report under this article if it appears to him that the Authority, a committee of the Authority or a person holding any office or employment under the Authority—
(a)has made or is about to make a decision which involves or would involve the Authority incurring expenditure which is unlawful,
(b)has taken or is about to take a course of action which, if pursued to its conclusion, would be unlawful and likely to cause a loss or deficiency on the part of the Authority, or
(c)is about to enter an item of account the entry of which is unlawful.
(3) The chief finance officer of the Authority shall make a report under this article if it appears to him that the expenditure of the Authority incurred (including expenditure it proposes to incur) in a financial year is likely to exceed the resources (including sums borrowed) available to it to meet that expenditure.
(4) It shall be the duty of the chief finance officer of the Authority, in preparing a report in pursuance of paragraph (2) above, to consult so far as practicable—
(a)with the person who is for the time being designated as the head of the Authority’s paid service under article 58 below; and
(b)with the person who is for the time being responsible for performing the duties of the Authority’s monitoring officer under article J9 below.
(5) Where the chief finance officer of the Authority has made a report under this Article he shall send a copy of it to—
(a)the person who at the time the report is made has the duty to audit the Authority’s accounts, and
(b)each person who at that time is a member of the Authority.
(6) Subject to paragraph (7) below, the duties of the chief finance officer of the Authority under paragraphs (2) and (3) above shall be performed by him personally.
(7) If the chief finance officer of the Authority is unable to act owing to absence or illness his duties under paragraphs (2) and (3) above shall be performed—
(a)by such member of his staff as is a member of one or more of the bodies mentioned in article F2(3) above and is for the time being nominated by the chief finance officer for the purposes of this article, or
(b)if no member of his staff is a member of one or more of those bodies, by such member of his staff as is for the time being nominated by the chief finance officer for the purposes of this article.
(8) The Authority shall provide its chief finance officer with such staff, accommodation and other resources as are in his opinion sufficient to allow his duties under this article to be performed.