The Regulated Services (Annual Returns) (Wales) (Amendment) (Coronavirus) Regulations 2022

EXPLANATORY NOTE

(This note is not part of the Regulations)

These Regulations are made under powers given to the Welsh Ministers by the Regulation and Inspection of Social Care (Wales) Act 2016 (anaw 2) (“the Act”). They amend a particular requirement placed on registered providers of social care and are made in response to the spread of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in Wales.

Part 1 of the Act places requirements on providers of the social care services that are regulated by the Act. They include a requirement in section 10 to submit an annual return to the Welsh Ministers. The Regulated Services (Annual Returns) (Wales) Regulations 2017 (S.I. 2017/1097 (W. 277)) (“the Annual Returns Regulations”) provide further details about the annual returns. They include provision made under section 10(4) about the dates by which the returns must be submitted.

These Regulations amend regulation 10(1) of the Annual Returns Regulations. That regulation relates to the date by which annual returns relating to financial years 2018-19, 2019-20 and 2020-21 must be submitted. Previously, service providers were required to submit annual returns for these periods no later than 26 May 2022. Under regulation 10(2) financial returns for 2021-22 were required to be submitted no later than 56 days of the end of that financial year (31 May 2022). The effect of the amendments made by regulation 3 is that providers of all types of regulated services must submit annual returns for financial years 2018-19, 2019-20, 2020-21 and 2021-22 no later than 31 October 2022.

The Welsh Ministers’ Code of Practice on the carrying out of Regulatory Impact Assessments was considered in relation to these Regulations. As a result, a regulatory impact assessment has been prepared as to the likely costs and benefits of complying with these Regulations. A copy can be obtained from Social Services and Integration, Welsh Government, Cathays Park, Cardiff, CF10 3NQ.