New Clause 34 - Access to seized documents

Renters (Reform) Bill – in a Public Bill Committee am 3:00 pm ar 28 Tachwedd 2023.

Danfonwch hysbysiad imi am ddadleuon fel hyn

“(1) This section applies where any document seized by an officer of a local housing authority under this Chapter is detained by the officer or authority.

(2) If a request for permission to be granted access to that document is made to the local housing authority by a person who had custody or control of it immediately before it was seized, the local housing authority must allow that person access to it under the supervision of an officer.

(3) If a request for a photograph or copy of that document is made to the local housing authority by a person who had custody or control of it immediately before it was seized, the local housing authority must—

(a) allow that person access to it under the supervision of an officer for the purpose of photographing or copying it, or

(b) photograph or copy it, or cause it to be photographed or copied.

(4) Where any document is photographed or copied under subsection (3), the photograph or copy must be supplied to the person who made the request within a reasonable time from the making of the request.

(5) This section does not require access to be granted to, or a photograph or copy to be supplied of, any document if the local housing authority has reasonable grounds for believing that to do so would prejudice the doing of anything for the purposes of which it was seized.

(6) A local housing authority may recover the reasonable costs of complying with a request under this section from the person by whom or on whose behalf it was made.

(7) References in this section to a person who had custody or control of a document immediately before it was seized include a representative of such a person.”—

This new clause makes provision about access to documents seized under NC33.

Brought up, read the First and Second time, and added to the Bill.