After section 25B of the 1993 Act there shall be inserted—
(1)If the Secretary of State instructs it do so, a body which distributes money under section 25(1) shall, in accordance with the following provisions of this section,—
(a)prepare and adopt a strategic plan, or
(b)review and modify any strategic plan which it has adopted, or
(c)replace any strategic plan which it has adopted by preparing and adopting another.
(2)In this section “strategic plan”, in the case of any body, means a statement containing the body’s policies for the distribution of the money likely to be available to it for distribution under section 25(1).
(3)A strategic plan must also contain—
(a)a statement of any directions given to the body by the Secretary of State under section 26(1) or 43C(1),
(b)a statement of the estimate given to the body by the Secretary of State of the money likely to be available for distribution by the body under section 25(1),
(c)a statement of the body’s assessment of the needs which the body has power to deal with, in whole or in part, by distributing money under section 25(1), and
(d)a statement of the body’s priorities in dealing with those needs by the distribution of money under section 25(1).
(4)A strategic plan must be such as to demonstrate how the body is taking into account or, as the case may be, complying with the directions mentioned in subsection (3)(a).
(5)Before adopting a strategic plan, a body shall—
(a)consult such other bodies as it thinks fit for the purpose of identifying the needs mentioned in subsection (3)(c) and formulating the policies to be adopted for dealing with those needs,
(b)prepare a draft of the proposed plan,
(c)send a copy of the draft to the Secretary of State, and
(d)after consultation with the Secretary of State, make such modifications to the draft as it considers necessary or expedient.
(6)Where a body adopts a strategic plan—
(a)the body shall send copies of the document containing the plan to the Secretary of State, and
(b)the Secretary of State shall lay a copy of the document before each House of Parliament.
(7)Nothing in this section applies in relation to any body which distributes under section 25(1) money allocated under section 22(3)(e).”